Skool Daze
by Yumi Kei
Summary: Concerning naughty fiction, gay boys, supernatural powers, and evil soccer jocks. High school… in a nutshell, nothing to worry about, right? AU Kaza/Rikuo main, side Fai/Kuro
1. School sucks

EDIT: May 20, 2013

Made some slight corrections/changes to the first 5 chapters that conflicted with some future events and that just all in all bothered me.

This is my second multichapter Legal Drug fic. Enjoy!

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If there was something in high school that bothered Kazahaya Kudo, it was not grades, or the stress of applying to college, nor the number of friends he had, or even if he had a girlfriend. In fact, one would say that Kazahaya was not _bothered_ by school, in a sense.

He was terrified of it.

Although he was aware that was nothing to be afraid of, Kazahaya was one to take things too literally and was secretly very self conscience. The teenagers at school were ruthless in their opinions and showed little remorse in their verbal beatings.

And this was why being gay was a problem for Kazahaya Kudo.

The point of high school, initially, is to make a name for yourself. And Kazahaya had been working on his name. He wanted to leave this hell hole with only one note still attached to his back:

"That one kid."

He didn't want to be a _fag_, loser, creep, or anything else that he had overhead bullies call students.

But because he was just a magnet for attention, a new name was given to him in his 12th year:

"The spaz."

…Guess it's better than fag.

Kazahaya also had the biggest girl-crush on Rikuo Himura.

He was tall, muscular, dark and unbelievably gorgeous. Kazahaya had to make sure his jaw didn't hit the floor every time he walked by, an air of superiority wafting off his tan skin. The breeze that Rikuo always left in his wake was enough to make Kazahaya unsteady, letting his usually innocent characterization shatter in a feverishly erotic fantasy of those taunt muscles shoving him against random surfaces, piercing green eyes invading his thoughts and thin lips caressing him everywhere…

This was probably not a normal crush, Kazahaya always decided to himself after he resurfaced from his sensual haze. This was probably something close to obsession.

If Kazahaya made one wrong move, anyone could see the graffiti of Rikuo's name all over his notebooks, doodles of what his eyes might look like up close, as well as the dreaded stories he wrote to sate his constant daydreams.

Of course, Kazahaya was not stupid enough (though you might predict otherwise) to actually use Rikuo's and his own names in his ridiculous stories… but we'll get to more of that later.

The problem for little Kazahaya is, he was pretty sure Rikuo was straight… or at least a-sexual. Being the soccer jock that he was, Rikuo always had a swarm of fan girls surrounding him before and after school, sometimes in the hallways, but Rikuo never paused to really talk to them. Kazahaya's victory was short lived though, as Rikuo never seemed to take interest in guys either. It was a tough call. Rikuo was just apathetic to everyone, Kazahaya hadn't seen the stoic guy crack a smile in the years that he knew him.

So, during breakfast one morning, "Do you think Rikuo smiles?" Kazahaya asked Fai, his best friend since he attended school here… also currently the only one who knew his sexual orientation, as well as his infatuation with Rikuo.

Fai Flourite angled his head to stare at his strange friend. "Everyone smiles, Kazahaya. Even The Brick Wall… just don't ask me how." He waved his spoon in a circle, emphasizing his point before sticking it back into his cereal.

Kazahaya pushed his tray away, already finished, to prop his elbows on the table, chin resting atop his laced fingers. "Makes you wonder…"

"Not really," Fai slurped up his Apple Jacks and chewed loudly. "But you can try and find out." He pointed to the cafeteria doors. Kazahaya spun around in his seat to catch Rikuo walking in, heading straight for the serving bar, not bothering to grab a tray. Rikuo had a black and forest green back pack slung over his shoulder, just ordering toast and grabbing a juice box.

"Hey, Himura!" Kazahaya sputtered, almost falling out of his seat when he turned back to Fai, his eyes almost out of their sockets.

"What do you think you're _doing_?" Kazahaya demanded in a low hiss.

Rikuo looked up to see who had called him, automatically locking eyes with someone he was sure who's name was Fai. He nodded and was about to head back out the door he came through, rather than sit at a table to eat, when his peripheral vision caught something moving. Looking back to Fai, he found him waving his arms in an inviting gesture. That's when the boy in front of him, his back to Rikuo, grabbed his arms in mid flail, to pin them back at the table.

Rikuo raised an eyebrow, but walked forward anyway.

"What?" He asked in a disinterested tone upon his arrival, completely unaware of the fidgeting body he was standing next to.

"Don't act snippy with me!" Fai snapped at Rikuo's word choice. Kazahaya almost slapped his own forehead.

"I'm not snippy. You're the one who called me over here. What?" Rikuo never broke eye contact with Fai's cerulean eyes, usually an intimidating action, but not by Fai's standards.

Fai waved off his excuse, smiling again as he spoke. "Not much, Kazahaya here just wanted to know something." Fay took an over-exaggeratedly long sip of his apple juice, signifying he was done with the talking.

Kazahaya flushed in anger, then in embarrassment when he felt Rikuo's eyes on him.

"Yes?" Kazahaya jumped when he felt Rikuo's voice at his ear, so close…

"Uh…" He looked to Fai for support but found he was distracted by other things… mainly eating a little too quickly.

Kazahaya heard Rikuo sigh, and panicked at the thought of him leaving so soon. Turning his head to face him, he spat out the first words that came out of his mouth:

"Wanna see a trick I can do with my tongue?"

Rikuo's eyebrows furled, staring dead into Kazahaya's gold eyes. A heavy silence filled the area, Fai looking like he was about to bust a gut, Kazahaya cheeks slowly turning red as he began to comprehend what he had just said.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Rikuo's lips parted.

"Excuse me?"

Fai broke the tension by letting out an obnoxiously loud throaty laugh that made everyone look to their table.

Kazahaya stuttered, trying to collect his thoughts and form a coherent sentence.

"Uh, uh," Kazahaya looked back to Rikuo, ridiculously aware now that he was close enough for to see the lime green streaks blending in with the darker shade in his eyes.

"You know…" Kazahaya forced himself to flinch back, eyes finally darting to the side. Heat rising far above his ears. Kazahaya looked back to stick his tongue out, curving the muscle at the tip carefully, forming a ripple that he knew would appear there.

_Oh God, Rikuo is looking at my tongue. _Kazahaya counted to three and the pink muscle darted back in his mouth.

Silence again.

"Wow," Rikuo straightened himself after the stillness. "That was a complete waste of my time." And without another word, he turned and walked away.

Fai rose his eyebrows in a manner that suggested that he expected as much. He slowly lifted his lashes to examine Kazahaya's reaction. It was true his friend was notorious for easy freak-outs, over obsessing things, and getting angry very, very fast.

It didn't take long.

"What did you say!" Kazahaya yelled across the cafeteria, turning multiple heads. Rikuo continued walking, a slight smirk on his lips oblivious to everybody but himself.

"I dare you to come back here and try that again!" Kazahaya was now halfway in a standing position, an index finger pointing at Rikuo's retreating figure. "Jackass!"

Fai had stood up, hands on Kazahaya's shoulders, attempting to push him back in his seat.

"Kazahaya, let it go," Fai spoke softly, but with a stern voice. Kazahaya was so not going to make a fool of himself… again.

Most students had already turned back to their food and company, used to these random outbursts. Some had continued staring, wondering what would happen next.

"What a jerk…" Kazahaya mumbled, sitting back down. Fai sighed in relief.

"Who does he think he is? Just…" Kazahaya waved his hands in the air. "Walking in here and ignoring everybody. Douche bag!"

Fai paused. "Was that you first time talking to him?" Rikuo was notorious for awkward conversations, didn't Kazahaya know this?

"…No," Kazahaya decided now was a pleasant time to leave the cafeteria. Standing up, he brought his tray with him to the garbage bins and walked out, making sure that Fai was right behind.

"Well, we spoke last year for the first time. In American History, we were partnered in a project." Kazahaya explained vaguely, walking.

"And was he rude?" Fai kept pace, checking a hanging clock to make sure this little trip wasn't going to make them late.

"Tch, yeah." Fai noticed Kazahaya's brows narrow. "He said I was 'useless' and a spaz."

Fai had to bite his lip to keep from smiling, whispering what he said next.

"And yet, you still like him?"

Kazahaya shrugged at that. "I don't know, it's like I can feel pure intentions about him... even though he portrays obnoxiousness," here Kazahaya grumbled before another thought hit him, feeling Fai's gaze on him. "Not just because of his looks," he wagged a finger at Fai, who had rolled his eyes. "During that project," Kazahaya began again. "Rikuo was very helpful. Even though he protested when I had a question, he explained the answer to me carefully, and it wasn't so bad…"

Fai stared dubiously. "Or he could have been acting that way because his grade was on the line." He joked.

Kazahaya rolled his eyes, smiling softly. "Probably. But…" He shrugged, dropping the subject, much to Fai's dismay.

"You're pathetic." Fai concluded.


	2. Milk looks sexy on you

This chapter was pretty much co-written with **glostarz** (you're gonna see her name pop up in a lot of my work haha).

Thanks for all the reviews and alerts and favs… I didn't know I'd get such a positive reaction on the first chapter *is touched* thanks guys! ^^

Onward!

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A fair haired boy awoke with a start, the beeping of the alarm on his watch sending out constant tics of irritation, reminding him that it was seven thirty and he should get up… before Fai took that duty upon himself.

Kazahaya groaned loudly, blindly searching for the accursed watch somewhere in the vicinity of his bed. Groping and sometimes knocking things over on his night stand. He lifted his head to try and at least search with his eyes now, and was successful, nabbing the watch and hitting the Stop button in relief.

Kazahaya flopped his head back onto the pillow, content now to lay in silence. He turned so that he was on his side, rather than his stomach, and tucked his knees up against his chest. The fabric of his sweats and bed sheets made for comfortable friction, causing Kazahaya to yawn and stretch like a lazy cat, letting the comforters move along his lithe body in a soft pull.

Sleep was pulling the senior back under far too quickly, promising sweet dreams and no school.

"Shhhhit…" Kazahaya mumbled into his pillow. It _was_ school, wasn't it? Or else he wouldn't have set his watch. What day was it?

It was a Wednesday. Kazahaya could have cried; it should have been Saturday. He forced himself up and sat on the edge of his bed, clutching his blanket around his bare shoulders. Curse this school and it's rules against heaters in the rooms.

Kazahaya wasn't convinced yet that a boarding school was the place for him… and he had left three years fall away with this indecision. The boy frowned, pulling the blanket tighter around him. He was the one who decided to rebel. Running away certainly hadn't helped improve his character, and by the way, neither did this God forsaken boarding school Kazahaya's parents sent him to. An inkling to run away still existed. Kazahaya was a free spirit… but his surroundings proved exploring to be an unmanageable feat. He didn't have a car yet so he hardly ever wandered away from the school, making for a very dull life. And really, Kazahaya was scared of the damage he could do… whilst driving an _automobile_.

A loud, sad sigh echoed throughout the room. Blanket still over his skinny frame, dragging on the floor, Kazahaya made his way to the hall bathroom, turning on the light and flinching as he did so.

After his eyes adjusted, he looked at himself in the mirror, scowling at the frizzy-ness that was his dirty blonde hair. He rubbed his eyes, trudging back out of the bathroom, seeming to remember that he needed his towel and shampoo to take a shower.

Oh the way out of his room, toiletries and a change of clothes in his hands, Kazahaya ran into a body much larger than his own, sending him bouncing against a wall, some clothing slipping from his arms.

"Sorry!" Kazahaya immediately apologized, giving a quick bow and bending down to reclaim his cloths and toiletries.

"It's no problem," Kazahaya looked up at the low voice, recognizing Kousuke Mukofujiwara, the head of student counsel, who had kneeled down as well to help, although there wasn't much to after Kazahaya had his armful back.

Kousuke stood up with Kazahaya, empty handed and feeling just a tad too awkward. Kazahaya somehow sensed this and tilted his head to the side, curious.

A moment passed. "Um, you haven't seen Satoru around yet, have you?"

Kazahaya blinked. "No, I just woke up not to long ago." He pulled his clothing tighter to his chest. "Try the cafeteria?"

"Yeah, was headed there. Thanks." Kousuke nodded, walking away from a perplexed Kazahaya.

_Odd_… the boy thought to himself, making his way to the bathroom once more and claiming a showerhead.

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Kazahaya took his usual seat across from Fai in the cafeteria for breakfast. Setting his tray down, he automatically took up his carton of milk and opened it, taking a sip.

Kazahaya blanched at the sour taste of the milk, swallowing with a determined look on his face (and shivering afterwards), he took the carton and attempted to find the expiration date.

Fai acknowledged his best friend's presence with a simple giggle, scratching his cheek as he did so.

"What?" Kazahaya found that the milk expired today, so it had to still be drinkable; maybe his taste buds were broken or something. With this thought, Kazahaya opened his cereal container… thing, and poured a good amount of the funky milk in.

"Your milk just reminded me of last night is all," Fai grinned wickedly, propping his elbows on the table to set his chin in his cupped hands.

Kazahaya paused momentarily in his cereal stirring, giving Fai in incredulous look, eyebrow raise and all. Fai stuck out his tongue. Something in the spoon wielding youth clicked in recognition, causing a dramatic eye roll.

"Don't start." Kazahaya resisted the urge to jab his spoon in the direction of his promiscuous friend. This only happened on some days, where Fai would just start spewing perverted nonsense. Kazahaya took this as a sign of loneliness, or boredom. Probably boredom. Or probably just to wig Kazahaya out. It usually had that effect.

"Well, I can't help it if I'm good friends with my left hand," Fai's smirked widened when Kazahaya's jaw dropped in disgust, revealing chewed up Cheerios. "And images of Kurogane came to me last night."

That was another thing suspicious about Fai Fluorite; he had a strange infatuation with Kurogane, also in their senior class, but was somehow less obsessive about him than Kazahaya was to Rikuo. And unlike Kazahaya's and Rikuo's (nonexistent) relationship, Fai often spoke with Kurogane, often teased him and poked him randomly in the hall and in class. The flirting was always one-sided, as Kurogane never returned the silly gestures, and would sometimes even blow up in Fai's face about them. Fai would always smile though. Because somehow Kazahaya knew, exactly what Kurogane was thinking; he appreciated Fai, cared for him even. Every time Fai dragged Kurogane along for something, Kazahaya felt a strange aura coming off of the third guest.

Kazahaya would be lying if he said he wasn't jealous of Fai's courageousness. To Fai, life was a golden opportunity to cause mischief, play games, whatever. He didn't care about his social status as much as Kazahaya did, although it was only rumor that Fai was homosexual, he hadn't come out of the closet himself for Kazahaya's sake. Fai liked to be on equal ground with his best friend. But that didn't mean he couldn't still tease the over reactive boy.

"Gah," Kazahaya looked down at his murky cereal. "You never listen to me."

"I did listen," Fai's tone reflected accusation, but the twinkle in his eyes told lies! "I just chose to not react accordingly."

_Whatever_… Kazahaya thought, stirring his cereal some more and finally taking a bite, making a face.

"Lame." Kazahaya said, poking his Cheerios now.

Fai grinned. "So, how's your creepy-stalker crush on Rikuo going?"

"It is _not_ a 'creepy-stalker crush'," Kazahaya dropped his spoon and crossed his arms. "And it's the same as it was yesterday…" _And the day before… and the day before that…_

"God, desperate proportions then." Fai said, picking his ear with a pinky. "Bet you go through more tissues than me in a month." He added as an after thought, face nonchalant. Fai flicked whatever crud was on his pinky, Kazahaya shuddered in disgust.

"Okay… we're so not having this discussion," He attacked his food again before the milk went warm, mouth full when he spoke again. "Next please."

"Um…" Fai cast his eyes up. "Favorite Rikuo-based fantasy?"

Kazahaya dropped his spoon again, speaking in exasperation. "Fai."

Fai played innocent. "What?"

Kazahaya pushed his tray away, rubbing his forehead with the palm of his hand.

"Wanna hear my favorite Kuro-based fantasy?" Fai grinned horribly.

"Not particularly." Kazahaya glanced to the side.

Fai frowned. "You're no fun."

Turning back, expression suddenly curious, Kazahaya spoke. "Well, is it a good one?" He finished the question by bending over to search through his back pack, pulling out a generously sized spiral notebook.

Fai laughed when Kazahaya plopped it down on the table, taking the pen from it's bindings and opening to a blank page. "Are you sure you wanna write it down? And hell yes, it's good!"

Kazahaya shrugged, pulling the pen cap off and hovering the tip above the paper. "I'm running out of ideas."

"Well," Fai sniffed. "It's not my favorite, but it's certainly a good one."

Kazahaya waited.

"It's about getting head." Fai warned his unpredictable friend.

Kazahaya grimaced. "Ew, I can never write those." He tapped the pen against the paper. "Where's your food?"

Fai shrugged. "Not hungry," He sat back in his chair. "Had a magic headache this morning."

"What did you do?"

"Was practicing my control," Fai sighed. "It's still a little shaky when I'm really excited or really pissed off." He paused again. "… Will be until I get the tattoo finished."

Another odd thing to mention about Fai; he's a mage. Like, casting spells, levitating, making warm drinks cold, whatever, he can do it. It wasn't something Fai liked to flaunt about, he certainly wouldn't have any problem proving himself, but it had to be a secret in this school. Kids just weren't ready to get comfortable with the unfamiliar. Fai had told Kazahaya a few weeks after he befriended him, but apparently had also confessed that no one else in the school knew. Kazahaya wondered if Fai knew he would believe him right away, not because he was gullible and tended to take most things at face-value, but because he could somehow sense it... sense a sixth sense coming off the blue-eyed boy.

"Maybe you should take a break? Rest a bit..?" Kazahaya spoke with a new tone, the one reserved for his friend; steady and reassuring.

Fai raised his eyebrows in contemplation. "Maybe," he shrugged again. "But I still don't know exactly what my capabilities are."

"I'll come to you in time." Kazahaya smiled at his friend before scanning the cafeteria and sighing. "And Rikuo is obviously not attending breakfast today." His eyes remained fixed on the entrance.

"Maybe he ate at the suite, or with Kuro." Fai said. The suite-like homes on campus came with a kitchenette, so cafeteria "junk food" (as Fai like to put it) could be avoided.

"Probably." Kazahaya admitted. "He doesn't even know I exist!"

"Keep talking that loudly and he will… and really, I'm sure he's aware of your existence." _Who wouldn't… _Fai added to himself.

Kazahaya flushed. "Okay, so maybe he knows I _exist_, but he doesn't give me any recognition."

Fai grinned in amusement.

"Douche bag…" Kazahaya muttered to himself, staring at his soggy cereal.

"I'm sure he feels something for you, deep down." Fai nodded.

Kazahaya scoffed. "I don't think he feels."

"I'm sure you'd like him to feel you."

"Oh shut up." Kazahaya threw his pen at Fai, who only grinned and flinched as the pen hit his chest. He picked it up and tossed it back to Kazahaya.

"I need to get to English." Kazahaya started packing his notebook, pen safely in its place.

"And I have gym," Fai paused. "With Rikuo."

Kazahaya managed to not roll his eyes. He knew Fai was only telling him this, again, to make him jealous.

"Lucky."

"Oh, yes." Fai was sarcastic. "But you get to watch Kurogane…" He trailed off.

Kazahaya had gym seventh period with Kurogane. "Yay me." Sarcasm is contagious. "He's worse than Rikuo; Kurogane actually yells back."

Fai giggled. "He yells at me too… I'd rather he yell my name." He added wistfully.

Kazahaya repressed a shudder at his friend's tone. "I'm off, see you in economics."

"Okay," Fai watched as Kazahaya slung his pack over his shoulder, standing. "Miss you already."

Kazahaya smiled a bit. "Yes, darling." He picked up his tray.

"Kissy kissy."

Kazahaya grinned, shaking his head and heading for the garbage bins.

He didn't even see it coming… or more specifically, _him_ coming. Kazahaya turned his head around when he heard Fai call his name and had suddenly collided with a body, dropping his tray and falling back on his rear.

First he heard a loud curse from above him. Then he groaned, feeling the back of his head and sitting up, only his shoes wet in milk.

"Jesus… way to get someone's attention."

Kazahaya almost had a heart attack. He looked up and locked eyes with Rikuo Himura, who now had a nice splotch of milk on his black shirt. Kazahaya's cheeks turned red in embarrassment and he scrambled up, stuttering as he spoke.

"Y-you should watch where you're going!"

"Me?" Rikuo looked almost outraged. "You just threw milk all over me and you're telling me to watch where _I'm_ going?"

"Yes!" Kazahaya tried to ignore the staring eyes. "And it's not like I 'threw' the milk on purpose, you got in the way!"

"Because you were making kissy faces at your boyfriend." Let it be known that Rikuo's voice was not rising in anger nor becoming louder like the blonde in front of him. Rikuo looked over Kazahaya's shoulder to make a point by acknowledging Fai, who winked in turn.

Kazahaya glared, his voice lowering. "He is _not_ my boyfriend."

Rikuo continued to stare over Kazahaya's shoulder. "You sure about that?"

Kazahaya jumped when he felt arms wrap around his waist, a chin settling on his shoulder. He spun around, taking Fai's arms and pinning them to his sides, hissing.

"Don't be stupid!"

Fai just grinned sweetly, almost in a mock. Rikuo started chuckling.

"Right… I'll be going now."

Kazahaya turned his head to see Rikuo walking out of the cafeteria… perhaps to go change his shirt, shaking his head.

Kazahaya fumed silently, looking around at the gathered crowd and finally exploding.

"What are you all looking at!" He waved his arms. "Go back to your own lives!" And with that, Kazahaya stormed out of the lunchroom, not bothering to clean up his mess.

Fai laughed to himself and followed Kazahaya out, spotting him leaning against the wall.

"You okay?"

"Ugh… he is such a pain in the ass." Kazahaya raised a finger as Fai opened his mouth. "Don't."

Fai closed his mouth to smile not-too-innocently. "What? Do what?"

"You know what."

Fai grinned. "I'm innocent, I swear." He giggled. "Besides…" He leaned in to whisper into Kazahaya's ear. "I know you'd be bottom."

Kazahaya snarled, but Fai was already running off, giggling like a girl. The dirty blonde stomped his foot childishly, flipping Fai's retreating figure the bird.

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AN: WAAAY too much dialogue! I need a pit stop… I hate writing dialogue.

If you're a regular reader of my stories, you should know by now that I am the slowest updater in the world. And so this is a hint to all you newbies; you can beg and beg, but it doesn't stop the world from spinning…. I have a busy life.

Next chapter will be more KazaxRikuo, promise! *sends chocolate kisses*


	3. How embarassing

EDIT: As stated in a later chapter, this story now takes place in America. Everything is edited accordingly, but if I missed something, please tell me. Thanks!

Also, just so the boys don't seem older than they are, let's say this fic takes place in 2009.

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Kazahaya lived and acted on impulse. It was one of his many (undesired) qualities, a quality that got him in trouble regularly. If someone said something against him, he did not think before he spoke. And although Kazahaya wasn't a physical individual, if things ever got to an extreme, he would most likely strike first.

So, at the end of his 11th year, Kazahaya saw a class entitled "Public Speaking," and signed up without thinking. Later he would say he opted to take this class as a way out of his shy shell. A class that taught one's self to speak in earnest, with simplicity and what-not.

Also a class that embarrassed the living hell out of Kazahaya every time he stood in front of his peers. A class that, after his first day there, made Kazahaya come to the impulsive decision to drop out of it.

The following day after the first of classes, Kazahaya trudged unhappily to Public Speaking, his second class of the day, ready to tell the teacher he was dropping the class. Ready that is, until he spotted a familiar nonchalant face at the back of the room. Short dark hair- sooty as ever- and green eyes piercing without the need for emotion. The blonde boy made the impetuous choice of, rather than talking to the teacher, taking a seat a good distance from Rikuo.

Rikuo took Public Speaking.

And although they did share this class, Kazahaya had not mustered up the courage to confront his crush in any way. September had fallen, which meant a whole month had flown by without promise.

Silly Kazahaya.

But today, Kazahaya had a game plan. Yes, the world was still spinning, and Kazahaya _thought_ about how he would go into class, march up to Rikuo, get in his face, look him in the eye, and say…

That Fai was not his boyfriend.

Right.

Kazahaya poked his head in the doorway first, the Public Speaking class already half full, and spied Rikuo, sitting in the back of the room (as usual), and the chair next to him, empty.

Inhaling deeply, Kazahaya walked into the room, taking the seat next to Rikuo without a word.

The late bell rang before Rikuo looked up, expression first surprised but then glaring.

"You."

Kazahaya almost rolled his eyes. He felt like, for a moment, playing along, replying with a "_Me_?" but thought better of it, and kept his mouth shut, looking ahead.

"Not armed with any milk this time I hope?" Rikuo spoke, sarcasm obvious in his voice.

Kazahaya sniffed, peeking at the brute next to him, noticing he was wearing the school's uniform P.E. shirt, proudly proclaiming their red dragon mascot.

"You haven't completely gotten rid of the smell," Kazahaya replied calmly, not meeting Rikuo's eyes, pretending to listen as the teacher prattled on.

"I don't exactly have a lot of time to shower," Rikuo countered, leaning forward in his seat. "I mean, I have a busy class schedule," a shrug. "And you really are a klutz."

Kazahaya shuddered; suppressing the little demons of wrath down, to speak in a controlled voice.

"I don't need your comments." Kazahaya spat, glaring at Rikuo, who only shrugged and responded with a, "Whatever."

Kazahaya scowled, forgetting about his original plan to protect his sexuality, and gathered up his notebook and stood up, looking for another seat.

-But finding none; all the desks were already full. Kazahaya plopped back down with a growl.

"Don't look so pleased," Rikuo said, sarcastic. "I'm stuck with you too."

Kazahaya bit the inside of his cheek, finding it hard to keep insults down that he _so_ wanted to upchuck on his stupid classmate.

"Yeah, that makes me feel a bit better," Kazahaya performed an internal victory dance as Rikuo just shook his head; happy to have had the last word in.

It was times like these Kazahaya failed to understand _why_ he had such a pathetic crush on Rikuo. All he did was infuriate the blond-ish boy when they had actual conversations. He would always remember a conversation he had with Mukofujiwara, the student body president, when he told Kazahaya that close friends fight all the time. Thinking on that now, Kazahaya would have to disagree; he and Fai never fought, playful arguments yes, but never yelling. Maybe fighting was a first stage to friendship? That wasn't very comforting. Kazahaya seemed to remember Rikuo being at least a little nicer in eleventh grade… Ah man, that must've meant the slighter boy only liked his classmate for his looks. Well, that is usually what attracts first, right?

_Right_. Kazahaya slouched in his seat, peeking up at Rikuo from under his bangs and studying his jaw line. It was a nice jaw, Kazahaya decided. A strong jaw, beneath thin skin and connected to a long, thick neck. Kazahaya swallowed, trying to pry his eyes away before anyone noticed he was ogling a _neck_ for crying out loud.

Only when Rikuo sighed and mumbled something under his breath did Kazahaya finally sit up, fixing his gaze to the front of the class. The teacher was writing something on the black board…

"Hey, are you paying any attention?"

"What?" Kazahaya turned to face Rikuo again, who looked agitated.

The teacher spoke then. "I'll give you 20 minutes. Start." She walked back to her desk and took a seat.

"Start what?" Kazahaya asked Rikuo, who might have rolled his eyes if he hadn't turned his face away from Kazahaya in that moment. Said boy's brow furled in confusion.

"In la la land?" Rikuo turned back to face Kazahaya, tearing a sheet of notebook paper from his binder. "We're partners," he nodded at the black board, and preceded to ignore his project partner.

The board read directions to a quick biography. Who ever was sitting together was deemed cohorts in writing somewhat of an introduction speech for the other person.

Kazahaya frowned, but then thought… maybe this wouldn't be so bad. He could find out more about Rikuo… and they would be forced to converse.

Heh, forced. Ugh.

"Who's going first?" Rikuo's voiced surprised Kazahaya and he jumped slightly, startled.

"Um, I guess I'll go," The dirty blonde noticed examples of questions to start your speech, such as: Where were you born? Do you have any siblings? And so on. He took out his notebook (not the naughty one… never in class) and nabbed a pen from his pocket, angling his body to face Rikuo better.

"Okay…" Kazahaya felt rehearsed. "Where were you born?"

"Colorado," a quick answer. Kazahaya scribbled it down just as fast.

"When were you born?"

"August 31, 1991."

_Oh… I'm older than him. Awesome. _Kazahaya grinned to himself as he wrote more information down.

"Hobbies?" Kazahaya didn't look up from his paper.

"Soccer, reading, swimming-"

Kazahaya interrupted. "You _read_?" He continued writing anyway.

Rikuo looked slightly miffed. "Yeah, a lot."

"Probably just sports magazines…" Kazahaya muttered, meaning to egg his class mate on.

"No, I read news papers and books too," Rikuo slouched in his seat, obviously bored.

Kazahaya wrote it all down. He figured that was a good invitation to ask "what kind of books?" or "news papers?" what kind of teenage boy reads the paper? But thought Rikuo was the kind of person who didn't like talking about himself.

"Ah… any siblings?"

No one noticed Rikuo go slightly pale, but when he fidgeted, Kazahaya looked up. He stared at Rikuo as he collected himself.

He swallowed a few times before he answered, "No," Kazahaya noticed a faint break in his voice.

His pencil stopped moving, excluding that detail. "You okay?"

Rikuo finally met Kazahaya's eyes, looking normal again. "Of course."

"Okay…" Kazahaya didn't like imposing, so he just continued. "Uh, any favorites? Like food, animals…?"

"Sushi, chocolate, I like cats and I have a favorite band too," Rikuo paused while Kazahaya made note of the information.

"What's the band?" Kazahaya chuckled to himself. Chocolate… what a girl. He stowed that little tidbit away for future use.

Rikuo rolled his eyes, thinking that Kazahaya would laugh. "My Chemical Romance."

Kazahaya didn't even smirk. "Really? You don't seem the type…"

A shrug from Rikuo, but nothing further. Kazahaya tried to picture Rikuo dressed as an emo… or even in punk rock style. But found the image to be rather ridiculous. Maybe it was a secret hobby of his. Then again, why would he tell Kazahaya about it? Probably not.

"Carry on then," Rikuo interrupted the blonde's musing.

"Ah, actually that's all I got… unless there's something you'd like to add?"

"No," Rikuo sat up straight again, catching Kazahaya's attention. "I think we're done."

"Well, I'll start on your introduction, and you can question me."

"Fine," Rikuo looked lost a moment before patting down his pockets, looking in his notebook, and finally looking at Kazahaya. "Can I borrow your pen?"

Kazahaya blinked, about to start his short essay. "Uh, no." It sounded like a question.

"No? C'mon, I bet you have another stashed somewhere on you," he moved in like he was going to search his partner until Kazahaya leaned away with a barely audible "eep."

"Yeah, but you need to learn to come to class prepared," Kazahaya wagged his pen at Rikuo matter-of-factly. Mentioned senior looked unimpressed.

"Oh please, don't start acting like you care," he snagged the pen out of Kazahaya's hand.

"Hey!-"

"You'll get it back after class." Rikuo promised with a smirk. Kazahaya frowned but internally melted at that smirk. So weak.

Once Kazahaya had his replacement pencil out and began on his partner's introduction, Rikuo spoke, mimicking Kazahaya's previous questions of where he was born; Nagasaki, Japan. This made Rikuo give him a once over. Kazahaya had blushed, quickly explaining that he was half Japanese, his American father had met his mother in Japan on a business trip. Rikuo nodded, not saying anything else on the subject, which Kazahaya was glad about... and a little sad, hoping his classmate could at least _act_ a little more interested. He asked when Kazahaya was born; April 13, 1991 (no change in expression after that answer), and then asking his hobbies, to which Kazahaya paused to think about.

"Don't give yourself a brain ache, dude," Rikuo teased.

Kazahaya scowled. "I don't know… writing I guess."

That seemed to catch Rikuo's attention. "Writing? What sort of writing?"

Kazahaya mentally slapped himself in the face. Good one Kudo. He had a feeling Rikuo wouldn't drop the subject until it was fully explained. The blondish boy licked his lips and tried to appear nonchalant.

"Just… fiction," Kazahaya began doodling a bit where he was writing. Darn it, he was such a bad liar; best to tell increments of truth.

"Yeah? Sci-fi? Fantasy, what?" Rikuo noticed the slighter boy's doodling and grinned, knowing he was hiding something.

"Whatever I feel like writing," it sounded like he was defending himself. Sure Kazahaya didn't know how to lie, but no way would he say he wrote romance… in the gay erotic sense. Oh, what a great first impression. Especially when you wrote those gay erotic stories about a certain black-haired boy who was currently seated next to you. Wow, was the room getting smaller? Kazahaya swallowed.

If Rikuo noticed the boy's unease, he didn't show it. "Cool, where can I read them?" Maybe Rikuo really was as dense as everyone said. That was a sad thought.

Kazahaya wished he would just drop it. Such a bad liar…

"Nowhere…" _Pleeease stop questioning me now._

Rikuo, thankfully, did drop it. "Okay. Next question is sibling… are you blushing?" He leaned in.

Kazahaya blinked. "I don't think so," he truthfully wasn't. Rikuo smirked again and Kazahaya's heart thudded. _Oh God. Just kiss me now…_

But wait, he was smirking… which meant Rikuo was teasing him again. Argh! Why did he like that smirk so damn much?

"I have a twin sister… Kei." This time Kazahaya did get a dusting of pink upon his cheeks, only because Rikuo was a little more in his personal space.

"Really? Is she hot? And you're still blushing."

"Stop that!" For the first time Kazahaya made physical contact with Rikuo; placing a hand on his chest to push the brute away.

What happened in that moment made Kazahaya's breath stop. The room disappeared and a nauseous feeling of being pulled through a dark tunnel overtook his senses. He thought he felt himself falling, but Kazahaya saw a human figure; back to him, that remained steady in his field of vision… which consisted of a blurry haze, slowly clearing up to reveal a dark room. The figure wasn't moving… which was accelerating a tension in the room, forcing Kazahaya to suddenly feel nervous, scared, and then, horribly sad. The figure never did turn around; just stood there.

Kazahaya's eyes shot open, instantly focusing on a white ceiling tile. He blinked, then heard some voices.

"Hey Kazahaya, you okay?"

"Stop crowding him!"

"Whoa, looks like he's gonna barf."

"Move aside everyone," that was the teacher. Kazahaya finally looked side to side, seeing the faces of his class mates peering down at him, and foot steps of the instructor hastily approaching.

… Why was he on the floor?

"Kazahaya? Kazahaya, are you okay?" He saw the teacher's face now, crouched down next to him.

Kazahaya opened his mouth to speak, but only made an "uh" sound.

The teacher suddenly looked determined. "Can you stand?" Kazahaya nodded, feeling the teacher loop her arm around his shoulders anyway… he was oddly dizzy and felt himself sway when he was in a sitting position.

He brought a hand to his forehead while he heard the teacher talking.

"Rikuo, can you take Kazahaya to the nurse?" Kazahaya felt too sick to protest, just let himself silently be hefted to his feet, one of his arms pulled over broad shoulders, and a strong grip around his waist.

Laying down somehow had felt safer than standing; Kazahaya leaned heavily on Rikuo, a fuzzy haze starting to engulf his vision.

Kazahaya managed to mumble, "I'm gonna faint…" before losing consciousness once more.

He awoke again in the nurse's office, atop a much more comfortable surface.

"Hey sleepy head,"

Kazahaya lolled his head to the source of the voice, meeting too-bright blue eyes.

"… Fai?"

"In the flesh," he smiled. Kazahaya sighed.

"How long have I been… out?" Kazahaya scanned the room, looking for Rikuo unsuccessfully.

Fai shrugged. "I got here about five minutes ago. Caught Himura in the hall and he said you were 'dying in the infirmary' so I ditched Kurogane- yeah, I love you that much- and came to see if you would leave anything in your will for me."

Kazahaya narrowed his eyes, but really expected as much from his friend. So, Rikuo just left? Kazahaya sunk deeper into the brick-like pillow sadly.

"So, what happened?" Fai inquired, poking Kazahaya's forehead.

"… I don't know," Kazahaya bit his lip. "I was in class, and I suddenly just… fainted, I guess."

"Huh," Fai stuck his bottom lip out, thinking. "Did you have a dizzy spell before you collapsed?"

Kazahaya shook his head.

"Weird…" Fai scratched his head. He paused after a moment, however, as if he just had an epiphany. He opened his mouth the speak when the door to the room was opened, and the school nurse walked in.

She smiled when eye contact was made with Kazahaya. "Oh, good, you're awake," she checked her watch and walked over to the counter, jotting something down on a clip board before opening a drawer and taking out pressure cuff. Kazahaya sat up and Fai moved out of the way of the nurse. Once Kazahaya moved to a sitting position, she put the cuff around his upper arm and began to check his blood pressure and pulse rate.

"Do you feel dizzy?" She began questioning Kazahaya while she checked him out.

"Not anymore," Kazahaya watched the dial as it ticked along to his beating pulse.

She frowned at the results, releasing the pressure and taking the instrument away. Kazahaya and Fai watched as she went to a fridge and brought out a little apple juice box, giving it to Kazahaya and explaining that he needed to keep up his blood sugar.

"If this happens again, I'm calling your parents," she promised. Kazahaya paled, almost choking on his juice. Fai looked to the side.

Kazahaya had a similar experience the year before; fainting during school without reason. He had just been walking around the school, it was December and chilly out, but no snow. Kazahaya had leaned against the school's brick wall excuse for a fence to rest and collapsed almost instantly. Kurogane had found him over an hour later, pale as death and rushed him into the school's infirmary, where Kazahaya remained unconscious for the rest of the school day.

It wasn't negligence that the school did not call his parents. Sometimes having a magical friend who knows your personal history can come in handy.

The nurse moved to leave. "Fai, you can leave now. Kazahaya, stay as long as you need."

Kazahaya nodded solemnly. Fai shifted around as if he was getting ready to leave, until the nurse left the room, turning again to look at Kazahaya.

He sighed, "I really should go… but I want to talk about this later, if you don't mind."

"I don't," Kazahaya rested the back of his head against the wall.

Fai stood then. "I am glad you're okay," he said seriously, smiling.

Kazahaya smiled back. "Thanks."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

AN: oh no, what happened to Kaza? :P i'm sure you can all guess.

I'm so not satisfied with this chapter... too rushed.


	4. I always stutter

**A note:** in Rikuo's essay, he explains facts that weren't gone over. I skipped the rest of Kazahaya's "interview questions" so just assume that Rikuo knows these things about Kazahaya because he asked and Kaza answered :P You'll see...

Thanks **glostarz** for writing Rikuo's introduction for Kaza... so vile! Ha ha

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"A girl?" Fai rolled from his back to lay on his stomach, on Kazahaya's bed.

"I don't know… it was hard to tell, but now that I really think about it, the figure was thin… and I believe it had long dark hair." Kazahaya sat on the floor of his room, back against the wall and tossing a tennis ball from one hand to the other.

After classes had ended, Fai met up with Kazahaya and followed him to his dorm, where they were currently at, to discuss further what had happened in public speaking that day. Kazahaya tried his best to answer Fai's questions and remember what he had seen in his brief dream… but it was mostly a haze. The golden-eyed youth had remembered seeing the human silhouette most clearly for some reason, perhaps even more clearly now that he was thinking straight.

Kazahaya couldn't for the life of him remember if he had seen something the first time he collapsed, almost a year prior, at the school entrance. He had dizzy spells often (but this was the second time he lost complete consciousness), and so didn't think that the two were connected.

Fai, being a man of magic, always thought everything happened for a reason. He felt drawn to Kazahaya somehow. He knew there was something special in his spazzed friend and wanted to figure him out. Fai had never told Kazahaya this; that there was something unique about him, hoping Kazahaya would discern whatever it was himself.

Fai folded his arms in front of him, making a pillow to rest his chin on while watching Kazahaya.

"Maybe you should write this one down, before you forget," Fai offered.

Kazahaya shook his head, stopping his movements. "Nah… I'm sure it was nothing important." He didn't feel like explaining the strange surge of emotions he felt before he woke up from that dream. After all, it was only a dream. But Kazahaya had to wonder… why he was feeling so sad; grief stricken for the girl that had stood before him. You can feel odd emotions in dreams… but its usually caused by something or someone you know or care about. That girl though…

Kazahaya started juggling the ball again. _There was no recognition; not even on the surroundings. I felt like I was intruding on something._

He didn't want to worry Fai though. _I'm sure it's nothing._

A series of knocks on the door brought both boys out of their musing's.

"Hey, I think someone is here," Fai rolled again to lay on his back once more, grinning.

"Really?" Kazahaya asked sarcastically, standing and dropping the ball on Fai's chest, ignoring the giggles as he made his way to the door, taking the knob and opening it… pulse quickening a fraction at the stunning green eyes.

"Um, hi," Rikuo greeted awkwardly, arms at his side, picking at a seam in his jeans, keeping eye contact with Kazahaya.

"Hello," Kazahaya returned, door only halfway open due to his sudden halt, hand still on the bronze handle. How did he find Kazahaya's room? Or why was Rikuo even here? Has he ever stopped by before? _Oh screw it all… I wonder if my hair is sticking up… _He counted to four before Rikuo spoke again.

"Yeah well, just wanted to see how you were. See that you're all… normal again," Rikuo acted as if it was tricky to form a sentence. Kazahaya shifted his weight from one foot to the other; his own nerves combined with Rikuo's "I don't want to be here right now" stance becoming difficult to handle.

"I'm fine… normal," Kazahaya wrinkled his nose at Rikuo's choice of word… normal. "Thanks."

Rikuo shrugged his shoulders like it was no big deal. "Anyway, we still need to presentate tomorrow. Class went on as usual while you were gone, and we're the only group left."

It took Kazahaya a moment to realize Rikuo was talking about public speaking and visibly relaxed, finally dropping his hold on the door knob, glad to have a bit of normality.

"Shit, I totally forgot about that… I don't think I have enough to write an introduction."

Rikuo seemed to get some of his mojo back. "Not my problem," he crossed his arms over his chest.

Kazahaya exploded. "Yes it is! It's _your_ damn introduction. I don't mind _not_ introducing you, but I don't want to look like a fool, making up some bizarre story about how you used mind powers to make me forget everything you told me cos you're _just that _evil!"

Rikuo made a face like he just witnessed a two-year old pee on the neighbors carpet; uncaring and slightly mortified. Muffled snickering could be heard behind Kazahaya; Fai having stuffed his face in a pillow.

"You are so weird," Rikuo finally decided, voice monotone. Kazahaya flushed crimson, utterly embarrassed but wickedly pissed off at the same time. Where did these mood swings come from?

Another silence passed, someone walked past the duo with a towel around his waist, just for some odd dramatic effect.

"Whatever," Kazahaya scowled, waving a hand in the air. "Meet me in the cafeteria for breakfast tomorrow, at least let me get a few more questions in."

If Rikuo was a caring guy, or at least a little bit sympathetic or just not lazy, he would have offered to invite himself in and let the questioning be finished here. But alas, he was not, and instead answered with a smirk.

"Is this a date? I'm not really a formal guy, so I might arrive naked," his eyebrows lowered and he tilted his head slightly, so Kazahaya could see his tempting eyes under the lashes.

Kazahaya's jaw dropped. He should have laughed at the joke, like Fai was currently doing- rather heartily- but instead he had to fight down sudden thoughts of Rikuo naked. Naked… in a bed, aroused and touching- _Shit! This is _so _not the time, brain._ Instead he stuttered at that smug look before growling in frustration, brows narrowed angrily and shut the door in his face; a panicky movement. Rikuo laughed from the other side.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

With the rest of the "interview" questions done, the following morning, the boys found themselves in an awkward silence, not used to sitting together in public.

Kazahaya tapped his pencil against his notebook, looking around the cafeteria, thinking about how he could spiffy up Rikuo's introduction, he managed to get a few more facts out of the stoic teen, but he worried about the format. Was it supposed to be a list? An essay? Whatever, he'd figure it out... Rikuo and him were currently seated at a table in the corner of the room, so they would have the privacy they needed to finish up the assignment. Rikuo had asked some more questions as well, apparently he thought he didn't have enough for his essay either. Fai wasn't in yet, which was probably a good thing... Kazahaya knew he didn't need the teasing glances from his friend anyway.

Rikuo broke the silence after a while, "So..."

The pen stopped tapping, Kazahaya looked up at Rikuo, who had gone silent, watching Kazahaya and slowly letting a grin appear upon his lips. Kazahaya swallowed.

"What?" He demanded.

Rikuo didn't hesitate. "Your sister's name is Kei, right?"

"Yeah," Kazahaya raised an eyebrow carefully.

"How is she?" Rikuo smirked.

Kazahaya almost choked on the orange juice he began sipping, coughing and beating his chest. "Excuse me?" He rasped.

Rikuo grinned, propping elbows on the table and lacing his fingers together under his chin. "Bet she's a fox."

Kazahaya almost growled his response. "What do you care about my sister?"

A shrug. Rikuo leaned back. Kazahaya hadn't been aware that Rikuo had leaned forward quite a bit. He blushed for no reason.

"A-anyway... have you written my introduction yet?" Kazahaya tried to change the subject, observing Rikuo's wardrobe for the day; an olive green t-shirt under a black leather jacket. He knew from watching Rikuo enter the room, that his faded blue jeans were ripped at the knees and he wore white sneakers, scuffed with dirt and grass stains.

Kazahaya never thought of someone being stylish. What was style? Kazahaya supposed it was how the rich, snobby girls always wore tight shirts and small shorts, how the loners always wore dark colors with studded belts and strange hair color. Rikuo though... he didn't really have a style. Though you would expect an athlete to wear sporty attire, school jackets, or shirts with logos. Instead, Rikuo came to school dressed differently every day. Some days he would just wear a hoody with baggy pants, or he would look like one of the loners, minus the hair. Kazahaya recollected Rikuo wearing one band shirt for a group he didn't recognize. That suddenly had Kazahaya thinking about how Rikuo had said that his favorite band was My Chemical Romance.

"I'll write it next period," Rikuo shrugged, explaining during Kazahaya's musings.

Kazahaya nodded. That was gym for Rikuo. He didn't want to ask how he would find the time to write it, but found he could care less. He would have extra time in AP English, after breakfast, to write Rikuo's introduction. He figured he'd just make it a list of facts, facts that would bore his classmates yet please his teacher. Kazahaya would have to make sure to memorize it for himself...

Rikuo cleared his throat. Kazahaya started; he had, literally, gotten lost in Rikuo's eyes. He flushed pink again. Dammit, he hated it when he zoned out and focused on people.

"So, Kei... what does she look like?"

Kazahaya sat back in his chair, deciding to answer, knowing it would probably be the only way to get Rikuo to shut up.

"She looks like me," Kazahaya sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Except longer hair, fuller lips, brown eyes..." He trailed off, trying to remember anything else. He really had been gone a long while, over a year since he had went home with Fai over the summer, just briefly visiting his family. Kazahaya wondered how Kei was. If she had moved out like she had secretly told him she was planning for years.

"Sounds damn hot," Rikuo's voice startled Kazahaya yet again. "She go to school here?"

Kazahaya spoke softly, "No."

"Shame," Rikuo closed his notebook. Kazahaya looked up at the hanging clock above the entrance to the kitchen, reading three minutes until the first bell. "Can I meet her?" He finished by picking his bag off the floor and shoving his notebook into it, dropping his pen in as well.

Kazahaya watched him until Rikuo had to look up at him, perplexed by the silence. Kazahaya inhaled, met Rikuo's eyes, and answered solemnly, "Doubt it."

Rikuo narrowed his eyes like he wanted to ask something else, but remained silent, looking almost... thoughtful? Kazahaya leaned in.

"Anyway, we should be heading to class. I'll see you, Kazahaya," then Rikuo stood up, giving a small wave and walking out of the cafeteria just as the first bell rang.

Kazahaya hummed, putting his own things away and slowly walking to English class, which he ended up being late for.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Forty five minutes of agonizing essay practice and review somehow cleared Kazahaya's head and he was ready to tackle public speaking, making it to class early to go over his paragraph and figure out how he was going to present it without barfing all over the podium.

While he had his paper out, Kazahaya saw out of the corner of his eye, a body move and sit next to him. When his paper was snatched away, Kazahaya's head snapped up, ready to hurl an insult at the thief, only to come short, coughing when he accidentally inhaled his own spit in surprise.

Rikuo grinned, holding Kazahaya's paper away from him. "Mind if I give this a read before you start spewing shit about me?"

Kazahaya inhaled a fresh breath of air. He hadn't expected Rikuo to sit next to him, out of his own free will.

"Um, yeah, I guess so..." he rasped. He tried to face forward again, even though class hadn't started yet. He kept a careful eye on Rikuo as he read.

There was a hint of a smile on Rikuo's lips as he finished, setting the paper back on Kazahaya's desk.

"Do you mind if you go first?" He asked.

Kazahaya thought about it. He really wanted to see Rikuo go first, so that he could get an idea on how he would deliver his own presentation. But, maybe it would be better to just have it done and over with. So Kazahaya nodded.

"Okay..." he then noticed Rikuo's desk empty. "Where's yours?"

"All in good time," Rikuo smirked. Kazahaya felt his heart give his rib cage a kick before starting a mile run. That's it. That ridiculously sexy smirk was going in the next story Kazahaya wrote... and could quite possibly be making several appearances in others as well.

Kazahaya stared at his desk until the teacher arrived and brought the class to order, needing the time to extinguish thoughts from his mind and _calm down_, sheesh.

When the teacher called Rikuo and him up, Kazahaya swallowed, trying to keep his nerves down. Damn, he really hated speaking in public. He kept his head down during the short walk to the front of the class, feeling Rikuo next to him until he was leaning against the black board, as Kazahaya stepped up to the podium.

Kazahaya set his paper down in front of him, noticing how incredibly short his paragraph actually was. He started to panic. No, this would not do. He would fail for sure. How long was Rikuo's introduction? _Oh shit, everyone's looking at me... um..._

Kazahaya shook his head, clearing it, and opened his mouth to speak.

"This is Rikuo Himura," he gathered up the last of his courage to point him out. Awesome, wasn't body language something that was taught in the first month? No? Oh well.

"He's 18 years old and was born August 31, in Colorado" Kazahaya's brain froze, truly frightened being in front of his peers. How old was Rikuo? _Shit... I'm losing my mind._ Kazahaya stared at the paper for the rest of the mini speech.

"His hobbies include; playing soccer, as if being on the varsity team was any indication, swimming, and reading- more than just sports magazines. He reads the news paper for current events, since we don't get TV here," a new piece of information. "His favorite band is My Chemical Romance, and his favorite animal is cats," Kazahaya paused. That was it... he thought for sure he had written more than that. Thought for sure he had written an ending. He left off as if he had more to say. He could try to make up an conclusion on the spot, but knew he would fail. So he instead just gave a small bow and almost fell walking away from the podium, hand on his forehead.

Rikuo sniggered.

"Thank you, Kazahaya," but the teacher didn't sound grateful at all, rather bored actually. She called up Rikuo, who stepped up to the podium as if he had done it a thousand times. Set his paper down, grinned, and began.

"This is spaza . . . I mean, Kazahaya Kudo," Rikuo spoke in a normal tone. Kazahaya's eyes bugged out. Wait, what was he about to call him?

"He's 18 and possibly a big nerd but I don't want to get close enough to find out," a few of the students giggled, girls. Kazahaya looked slightly affronted.

"He writes stories, but he won't tell me what about so I'm guessing they are perverted," a small smile appeared. Kazahaya felt his neck heat up. _Ugh! What the hell is this?_

"He's got a twin sister, who is apparently hot. And I am trying to get a date with her, but so far no joy." Kazahaya felt his eyebrow twitch in irritation. _Oh, really?_

Rikuo continued on, face straight. "I found out that Kazahaya's name means wind, which is nice," Rikuo added softly. Kazahaya flinched at that. He never told Rikuo what his name meant. It was kind of embarrassing. Why did Rikuo even bother figuring that out?

"Kazahaya seems a bit clumsy, and he has a hell of a lot of accidents. Which is quite funny. He's from Nagasaki, which may explain a few things," Rikuo paused to let the class giggle again. Kazahaya thought he was going to lose his temper, glaring daggers at the back of Rikuo's head, hoping for implosion.

"Kazahaya likes school, but we didn't get around to favorite subject. Although I'm sure that with his amount of accidents PE isn't one of them," Rikuo had the nerve, then, to turn his head slightly and smirk at Kazahaya. Said boy felt his cheeks heat up. Turning his head away from Rikuo and flipping him the bird, hiding it behind his other hand so the teacher wouldn't see. Rikuo coughed back a laugh as he faced the class again.

"Although I have seen him run and he's fast. He'd be good at track," Rikuo finished. Taking back his paper and folding it, not bowing in nervousness like Kazahaya did. Kazahaya did, however, look rather perplexed. When had Rikuo seen him run? Was that supposed to be a compliment? Kazahaya's head swam around those last two sentences as he and Rikuo sat back at their desks, the cheesy line "he noticed me," making Kazahaya smile.


	5. Ha, now you're in the closet with me

Hello my people! I hope you are still with me...

I don't know what to say about this chapter, its my longest so far.

Enjoy! And please continue to stick around. This story is going to be loooong, that much I know.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kazahaya started Friday like every other day. He showered, got dressed, brushed past the underclassmen in the hallway, and made his way out of the dormitory building, backpack over his shoulder.

But there was something different about today; Kazahaya slept in. Now, Kazahaya has slept in before, but when he did, it meant missing breakfast, something the senior didn't look forward to. Another difference today was, Kazahaya was angry, and it was not because of missing breakfast. He stormed through the chilly October morning, making his way to the school gates and ignoring the stares he received as he walked through the front lawn.

Death practically radiated off the boy. Kazahaya's eyes were narrowed sharply, staring straight ahead and his feet stomping, legs carrying him along quickly.

"Hello, _Spazahaya_," a fellow senior leered at Kazahaya as he walked past the doors into the school. Said boy swallowed thickly, blushing in embarrassment at the laughter that soon followed.

It was like this since yesterday, right after public speaking... right after that hideous speech Rikuo gave.

Kazahaya felt like an idiot for ever thinking that... that, _ugh jerk!_ Rikuo noticed him. Ugh! Kazahaya blushed again, he felt so stupid. Classmates had been snickering and texting on their phones after Rikuo and him returned to their seats. Kazahaya hadn't paid them any attention. Sure he was kinda pissed off at Rikuo at the time, but it would've passed, like all the other jerkish things he'd said or done. But...

_I hate people... _Kazahaya thought as he stalked miserably to class. Annoying how spoken word spread like wildfire... and how everything had turned into a game of telephone. Classmates had come up to him calling him a _retard_ and "Spiderman"... probably a reference to the radiation that was still rumored to float around in Nagasaki. Worse was a rumor currently going around that Kazahaya was into his sister. God, how did this happen?

Kazhaya made it to English quickly, pulling out a dinky mp3 player from his backpack, jamming the obnoxious ear buds into his ears, and turning on the device, holding down the increase volume button. The mp3 player was a gift from Fai, which Kazahaya would have liked to see this morning, but he knew he'd see him later. Not many songs were on it; Kazahaya wasn't really into music, but Fai put on a handful from bands he'd thought his blonde friend would like, mostly rock, some mellow pop. Kazahaya didn't take it easily, but really appreciated it now, as it droned out any homicidal thoughts in his own mind.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kazahaya began his rant when he finally saw Fai during lunch... well, not right away. Kurogane was with him, making Kazahaya seethe. Kurogane caught him outside while he was walking to his dorm building yesterday, grinning. The smaller boy had huffed, averting his eyes to the ground, sick of the torment that day. When they had passed, shoulders almost brushing, Kurogane mumbled "Kaza..."

Kazahaya knew he wasn't using it as a nick name; they certainly weren't close enough for informal greetings. The boy audibly groaned in frustration. "_...Kazahaya's name means wind._" That dick! And Kazahaya thought Rikuo was trying to be nice. Immediately after the whispered name, Kurogane whistled, resembling the howl of a strong wind.

Kurogane is friends with Rikuo, of course he knows what Rikuo's speech was. Kazahaya wouldn't be surprised if he helped him write it, somehow. At least he knew the actual speech, not the garbage that the kids at school were spreading around. Kazahaya sat a table away, behind Kurogane, facing Fai, to glare at his treacherous friend. Fai caught on fairly quick, releasing Kurogane from the table... literally, it seemed. Fai had obviously used a spell to capture Kurogane's attention, based on the bewildered expression the bulky senior was sporting as he stood and left. Kazahaya would have found the situation humorous if he wasn't so depressed.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"-and, you know, I bet he just threw in that track thing at the end to make me feel better, but then I remembered- oh yeah, he is such a prick! How dare he humiliate me in front of the entire class? People were giving me weird looks all day!" Kazahaya played with his hands and gesticulated as he rambled on to Fai as they walked down a hallway, food eaten. Fai rolled his eyes, quite honestly a little tired of listening to his silly friend go on and on... for the past 30 minutes. He was having such a good time with delusional Kuro, but knew he should be there for a friend in need, and Kazahaya looked like he was in need.

At the time.

Unbeknownst to them, the object of their thoughts was right around the corner, discussing the same topic... almost.

Rikuo rolled a soccer ball around in his hands, having skipped lunch to practice a bit, before tossing it to Kurogane.

"It wasn't so bad... his face was a picture though," Rikuo grinned in response to his friend's question on how the infamous speech had went, as they hadn't seen each other since then.

Kazahaya only paused to catch his breath. "He seemed like he was really starting to come on to me, well, not like that, but he's been nicer and- are you listening? Then he goes and does THAT? How rude! I will never write another story about him again."

Rikuo and Kurogane stopped walking after they rounded the corner, the former going silent as he picked up what Kazahaya had said, facing him now.

Kazahaya froze, fear evident in his eyes, staring at Rikuo. Fai slouched, visibly pleased for the interruption, and silently checking Kurogane out.

"You're writing stories about who?" Rikuo raised an eyebrow.

Kazahaya swallowed. "None of your business!"

"Really?" Rikuo took a few steps to close the four foot distance between them. "Seems like you have a lot of stuff that's not my business, but I'm sure it is somehow."

Kazahaya glared, taking Fai's wrist and about to drag him along in retreating, when Rikuo sidestepped to cut him off. Kazahaya huffed, trying to move past him again, but Rikuo moved along too, face passive. Kurogane rolled his eyes, then rested them on Fai, perhaps feeling a bit sorry for him.

"What?" Kazahaya finally demanded, sick of this stupid game.

Although Rikuo looked very nonchalant, a trace of humor danced in his eyes."I think the expression you're looking for is 'excuse me'."

"You got in my way, so I'm just assumed you wanted my attention," Kazahaya spoke exasperatedly.

"Well, I can think of a couple of things I can do with that,"Rikuo replied matter-of-factly, fighting down a smirk.

Fai raised an eyebrow, confused by the mixed messages in Rikuo's tone. Kazahaya paused for a moment before rolling his eyes and made to pass Rikuo again, when said blockade pushed him back, hand on shoulder.

"Careful," Kurogane spoke up, directing to Rikuo. "Physical contact makes him rabid." He quickly ducked Kazahaya's back pack that swung over where his head had been.

Rikuo grinned, going on with the tease. "He's already rabid, can't you tell?"

In that moment Fai took action in an idea that had been tugging at him since they came across Rikuo. Without moving from his position, Fai waved his hand at the blank wall nearest them, causing a wooden door to appear. Kurogane noticed it first, jaw dropping. Before he could get a stutter out, Fai shoved Rikuo then Kazahaya through the door, which sucked them into the room. The door seemed to turn from wood to water, rippling from the touch and then hardening back to its original form.

Fai sighed, resting a hand on his hip, and turning to Kurogane casually. Said student stood aghast, eyes wide and blinking.

"... Wha-"

"You know," Fai interrupted, walking to stand in front of him. "Calling Kaza 'rabid' wasn't necessary." Before he could get any other response out of Kurogane, Fai waved his hand in front of the other student's face.

"Forget," Fai spoke gently, then put his hands on Kurogane's shoulders, turning him the opposite direction and giving him a gentle push that sent him walking. As he watched him go, Fai's eyebrows furled and he quickly brought his left hand up to clutch his right shoulder, rubbing the skin down his back. Fai shook his head. Doing too much magic at once wasn't healthy.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

After the squeal of surprise and an "oof" made simultaneously by Rikuo and him, Kazahaya opened his eyes to blackness, coughing once afterward at the distinct smell of dust and some kind of cleaner.

A groan following brought Kazahaya to realization that he was currently on top of Rikuo's chest. He didn't have time to sputter embarrassingly before Rikuo spoke up.

"What- what the hell did you do?" Any teasing tone Rikuo had previously was gone. Genuinely surprised and ticked off.

"I didn't do anything!" Kazahaya yelled in the direction he was sure would be Rikuo's head.

Kazahaya felt Rikuo's body shift under him. Momentarily distracted by a thought that crossed his mind, _why hasn't Rikuo told me to shove off yet?_

"Then why the hell are we in here...? Where are we anyway?"

Kazahaya rolled his eyes. Why did Rikuo think he knew all the answers.

"The hell I'm supposed to know," he muttered, bracing himself by finding the floor on either side of Rikuo's body and pushing himself up. Flushing slightly when he felt his crotch slide along one of Rikuo's legs. He was about to mumble an apology when he stood up too fast and his head collided painfully with an obvious protruding shelf. Sending him flinching back over Rikuo in pain, clutching his head.

"Ow...! Shit," he hissed, rubbing the back of his head.

"What? What've you done now?" Rikuo questioned, shuffling carefully to sit up, his legs straightening out, helping Kazahaya to lean back against a wall.

Kazahaya sighed. "I just hit my head on something," he stood up more carefully this time, hands on the walls. "Not that you care." He finished, now fully erect and grazing his fingers against the wall, which felt like brick. He came across what he sure felt like a spider's web and internally freaked out, shaking his fingers around.

"Well maybe I do... a little," Rikuo's voice resonated. "I mean, I need a partner for public speaking after all." That last bit had sarcasm laced with it, Kazahaya just knew it.

Soon Kazahaya found a light switch. Flicking it, the room illuminated. The light came from a single bulb hanging by a cord about two inches from the ceiling. The room itself was about 7 by 8 feet wide, almost a perfect square. Shelves filled with cleaning products, cloths, a bucket, and various scrub brushes lined the back wall. A filthy sink occupied the corner. Rikuo stood up from his spot on the floor, dusting himself off. The room was easy to label.

"... A janitor's closet?" Rikuo confirmed with a questioning tone.

Kazahaya's eyes rolled once again, finding the door quickly and tried the knob, eyes widening in horror as it didn't turn or budge.

"... It's locked."

"What?" Rikuo brushed Kazahaya's hand aside and tried it for himself, discovering that Kazahaya was correct. He kept his hand on the knob and his eyebrows narrowed, looking frustrated but focused. Kazahaya raised an eyebrow, watching with perplexed eyes, especially as Rikuo started to shake and his neck began to color red. He finally let go of the door knob with an exhale, muttering "Damn."

Kazahaya brushed it off as Rikuo trying to work his man muscles to turn the knob with all his might and leaned again the wall, wondering if this situation somehow connected back to Fai.

Rikuo spoke. "I can't break it," he sounded astonished. Kazahaya gave him a weird look.

"Yeah, cos it's really gonna break with a little turn."

Rikuo turned to him. "That's not-" he caught himself suddenly, turning back to the door. "Never mind." He placed his hand against the door, palm up.

The room went silent for a moment. Kazahaya giving Rikou a questionable stare. Said boy looked out the corner of his eye, noticing Kazahaya watch him. He sighed as if it was nothing, asking a pointless question.

"So, how do we get out of here?"

Kazahaya was once again curious as to why Rikuo would think he knew. But he just shrugged anyway, sitting down on the grimy floor.

"Scream for help?"

Rikuo thought about it; Kazahaya watched his brow wrinkle the way it does when Rikuo is thinking hard about something. He touched the door again.

"Somehow I doubt that'd help."

Kazahaya grumbled. Bending his knees up to rest his elbows on them, using the palms of his hands to rest his chin in.

"So," Rikuo turned to lean his back against the door, remained standing.

"What?" Kazahaya spoke uninterested. He had a plan to ignore Rikuo until the janitor eventually came back. Somehow, magic was the last thing on his mind.

"So, we're stuck here. Why?" Rikuo crossed his arms, seemingly determined to make small talk, or find an explanation.

"Again, how should I know?" He turned his head slightly to stare up at Rikuo. His expression changed then. "There's obviously some radiation in my brain that doesn't let me think correctly," he continued sardonically, looking forward again, the comment referring to Rikuo's stupid essay.

Kazahaya didn't see Rikuo smirk, but he heard it in his voice. "Obviously."

Before Kazahaya could even scowl, Rikuo continued. "Who shoved us in here?" He leaned his head back against the door, looking up the the spider web infested ceiling. He looked back down at Kazahaya's blondish hair, noticing how it parted slightly more to the side. Rikuo noticed how it shined against the yellow light, looking so soft, so well taken care of. It wasn't right... it was down right feminine.

When Kazahaya didn't retort to the rhetorical question, Rikuo answered himself with another question, directed at Kazahaya.

"It was Fai, wasn't it?"

But Kazahaya refused to answer, dead set on his plan of ignoring Rikuo.

"Yeah, of course it was," Rikuo continued to talk to himself, sitting down on a questionable looking plastic chair next to the sink. "Interfering little..." his eye's snapped up when he felt Kazahaya glaring at him.

"What?" Rikuo sighed when Kazahaya still refused to talk. "You know as well as I do that Fai did this."

Kazahaya hadn't flinched.

"Although why this door won't open is a little more... well, I need to think about that one," he mumbled the last part to himself.

Kazahaya spoke at last, quietly but with an unmistakable edge. "That's not why I'm mad."

"Oh?" Rikuo sounded playful. "So, why are you mad? It's that blonde jerk's fault we're in here. And I bet him and Kuro- wait... where is Kurogane?" He made like he was going to stand up again, when Rikuo heard a mumble from the floor.

"If you can't figure out why then you really are a jerk."

Rikuo looked slightly disinterested as he raised one eyebrow. "Well, if you know why, enlighten me."

"Why did you make fun of me in public speaking?" Kazahaya's voice rose a tad.

Rikuo leaned back in his chair, spreading his legs apart, slouching. "I used the answers you gave me."

Kazahaya fumed that Rikuo didn't appear to be taking this seriously. "You didn't have to use them so... rudely."

"Well, you're not exactly all sunshine to me."

Kazahaya let that comment go, ignored the way it made his heart fall slightly. "It still wasn't right to use my answers against me," he waited for Rikuo to respond, but he didn't, surprisingly.

"I introduced you in a completely unbiased way," Kazahaya ground his teeth. "Then you you just go and make me the class idiot." He accused curtly, moving to cross his arms in front of his chest.

"You didn't exactly give me much to work with," Rikuo paused. "And besides, I don't like to share. I don't trust the world with just any information."

"That doesn't make any sense," Kazahaya sighed, running a hand through his hair. "The assignment was to get to know each other, didn't you get that?"

Rikuo sat back up. "I was just having some fun," he sounded bored.

Kazahaya studied his face then looked back at the floor. "Whatever."

The room went silent. An unmeasurable amount of time passed, Kazahaya pulling at a rip in his jeans, before Rikuo broke the quiet.

"Look, we're stuck in here for a reason, so we need to figure out what that is."

"Yeah," Kazahaya didn't take his eyes away from the growing hole in his pants, revealing his knee. "You need to apologize and stop being so mean to me."

Rikuo answered quickly. "If that's what I have to do, that's what you need to do too."

"What should I apologize for?"

Rikuo groaned, eyelids sliding halfway. "You know, you're not exactly nice to me either," he accused, slouching forward, elbows on knees and hands clasped together.

"You start everything-!"

"Like you're not going around bitching about me, when you're sure I'm not around." Rikuo interrupted, not willing to hear that sad excuse.

Miffed at being practically ignored, Kazahaya huffed. "Only cos you deserve to be bitched about."

"And so do you," Rikuo made it final. It was obvious when Kazahaya groaned in annoyance. The room fell silent again.

A humorless chuckle emerged from Rikuo a couple minutes later. Kazahaya looked up in time to hear him mumble, "God, this sucks."

"..." Kazahaya looked down at his knee. He couldn't help but think about how this situation would be completely opposite if they were on better terms... but no raunchy images came to mind. He sighed. Perhaps Rikuo was a pointless crush. It was time to move on, time to stop chasing after someone who obviously wouldn't return his affections. But first, to settle this spat.

"Fine. I'm sorry for being such a pain," Kazahaya looked up to meet Rikuo's eyes.

"And I'm sorry if occasionally I'm a dick."

"You mean, 'always being a dick,'" Kazahaya amended, looking away from Rikuo.

"No," Rikuo straightened up. "Or you would always be a pain."

The apology didn't help, but Kazahaya shut up anyway, sad.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Did you do it?"

Kazahaya found Fai at his building, a separate cabin like house on the school's campus. He chose to live in the senior houses like many of their class, besides Kazahaya.

Fai was laying on the living room couch, sipping hot chocolate, and now Kazahaya was too, but he wanted the answer to his question.

"Do what?" Fai smiled, a star pattern blanket draped around his shoulders, facing Kazahaya who occupied a plush chair opposite him.

"Lock me and Rikuo in that closet," Kazahaya took a sip of his hot drink.

_A click was heard and suddenly the door was opened to the janitor's closet. Rikuo and Kazahaya snapped their heads up at the figure looming at the entrance. He was wearing a plaid flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He wore jeans and looked to be in in mid 40s._

_It was the janitor._

"_What are you kids doing in here?"_

"Would I do that?" The smile he gave indicated that yes, he _would_ do that.

"Fai," Kazahaya sighed. "That wasn't cool. You had no right interfering with... whatever was going on."

"I thought I did. You need to stop running away from your problems, Kaza, and face them head on!" Fai pumped a fist in the air, as if declaring an attack.

Kazahaya slumped and put down his drink on the nearest end table. "Yeah well, I'm not running away anymore," he started.

"Good," Fai nodded.

"I'm going to take my interests elsewhere, if you know what I mean."

Fai blinked. "What? You mean, you don't like Rikuo anymore?"

Kazahaya nodded. Fai grumbled, moving to tuck his legs under him and set his drink down as well. "I know you're lying," Fai said as he was getting situated.

Kazahaya opened his mouth to speak but Fai cut him off.

"Kaza-dachi, don't take this the wrong way, but you're totally blind."

Said "dachi" raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Fai tapped his chin playfully. "I mean lots of things. But let me put it one way; you're obviously not fully developed yet if you can't see Rikuo's feelings for you,"

"... Huh?"

"You and I both know you still have the hots for Rikuo. So don't be a wuss and continue your infatuation. Trust me, I know what's best for you."

Kazahaya looked unimpressed. "Really? Somehow I don't believe you," he picked up his mug again.

"I don't want to explain it now, but you and Rikuo... well, kinda need each other," he wiggled his fingers, Kazahaya watched.

"So you're psychic now?"

Fai giggled. "No, buuut..." he sang. "I still sense things. And I sense you being forever lost and confused without a person like Rikuo," he nodded, self assured.

Kazahaya stared at him.

"He's a good person!"

"Riight," Kazahaya stressed. "Even though you said yourself that Rikuo is the 'brick wall.' He's put me over the edge. I refuse to like him anymore."

"Pssh, but you _do_ still like him, huh?"

Kazahaya stood. "This is getting us no where," he made his way to the kitchen. Fai, sadly, had a point. Maybe Kazahaya was turning into a masochist, but he still found Rikuo attractive... arguing with his classmate hadn't sullied Rikuo's image, somehow. Maybe it was because Kazahaya was overly forgiving, easily brushing things off. But he knew, after that episode in the closet, continuing to pursue Rikuo's affections probably wouldn't be healthy.

Fai sang from the living room. "You're running away again!"

Fai yelped when an orange came hurdling at his chest.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Yes, I know Fai is horribly vague, we'll get more into what the hell he's talking about later.

Stay tuned for... well, lots of strange things!


	6. Merlin's wise advice

My sincerest apologies for this… ugh, ridiculously late chapter update! It's short, I know, you all deserve a 100 page chapter after that long break, but I feel this episode needs to end here. I tried mixing the events of the next chapter at the end of this one, and it just doesn't flow well. I guess you'll see when I post it.

Again, I'm reeeally sorry! Maybe if I had gone to college for English instead of TV Broadcasting, this story would have been done by now *kills self*

Please please please leave me a review? I notice people have been putting this in their alerts/favs while I've been MIA, but not one review to get me off my unproductive ass.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The following Saturday was a cloudy one... perhaps reflecting Kazahaya's mood. The temperature had gone down significantly, winds picking up. The school grounds were scarce of students, as most probably lounged in their rooms, not giving a care in the world. It was the weekend after all. Most likely there would be another party being held by a senior.

The school allowed parties, but of course there were rules and exceptions, which students knew weren't followed. This was another reason Kazahaya preferred to be inside the school, lurking in his dorm room like an underclassmen. Senior parties occasionally got loud and obnoxious, distracting Kazahaya from his school work. Studying and homework was hard enough, why the hell would he condone such noise?

Now in his dorm room, Kazahaya sat on his bed, homework laid before him, and tried to concentrate. Instead he was staring out the window, observing the gray clouds. It was mid-day, Kazahaya hadn't heard of any social gathering, so he figured it would be fine to spend the day in books and papers. But he had other things on his mind... one particular issue that was difficult to solve. Kazahaya watched the hanging clouds.

_Stupid Fai..._ Kazahaya thought, noticing the clouds move ominously overhead. _Practically defending Rikuo. _As his best friend, Fai should agree with Kazahaya. Going along and saying "Yes, Rikuo is a jerk. Good for you, Kaza. Let's tie his ankles together and throw him in a lake."

Kazahaya sighed, realizing he'd said the words aloud, mocking Fai with a voice an octave higher than his own.

"Stupid Rikuo..." Kazahaya mumbled, pulling a pillow from the head of his bed to smush it under his arms, completely disregarding his homework now, and propping his chin atop it. His eyes downcast, Kazahaya stared at the brown carpet. "And his stupid excuses." He finished with a huff, lifting an arm to pull hair that had fallen into his eyes behind his ear.

Kazahaya lay there a bit longer, wondering perhaps if it was going to rain, when he heard a faint knock at his door.

He turned his head to stare at the white door, dubious. Was it his imagination? Or could the knock have been heard from next door?

Another light knock.

Kazahaya sat up, still unsure. "Who is it?" He put the pillow in his lap.

A shuffle was heard. "Rikuo. Can I come in?"

Kazahaya felt his jaw drop. _Rikuo, again at my door? Okay, how the heck does he know where my room is?_

"Uh, um. Yeah, the door is unlocked, I think..." Kazahaya fidgeted, taking the pillow off his lap, putting it back on, switching the position of his feet to sit cross legged and pulling his homework up to him to make it seem like he was busy when Rikuo walked in.

The two made eye contact instantly.

"Hey," Rikuo broke the awkward silence that ensued first, shutting the door behind him and standing in the doorway.

"Hi," Kazahaya replied, fingering a pencil that seemed to apparate between his fingers.

Rikuo trained his eyes on the twirling pencil, speaking clearly and to the point.

"Listen, about that speech a couple days ago," Rikuo paused, noticing how an angry gleam crossed Kazahaya's eyes. "It was just meant to be in all good fun. I hadn't meant for it to blow out of proportion like this," he stuck his hands in his baggy jean pockets. "I thought you were just yelling at me, but after we got out of the closet yesterday, I asked Kurogane about it, and... I hadn't realized you were being picked on so... badly."

Rikuo began looking everywhere else besides Kazahaya's eyes. Kazahaya remained silent, twirling the pencil faster now. He finally sighed, and looked at Kazahaya sincerely. "I'm sorry that... what I said hurt you. I didn't know everyone else was going to be ass holes. When Kurogane told me what he did to you, well, it kinda pissed me off," he had looked away again.

"So, yeah, sorry," he finished lamely, leaning back against the door and peering at Kazahaya under his bangs.

Kazahaya stopped the twirling, watching Rikuo, expecting anything more from him.

"You're sorry you wrote the essay or you're sorry I was picked on by other people," Kazahaya's brow raised.

"Both," Rikuo replied quickly. "I honestly wasn't expecting the class to act like a bunch of grade schoolers and gossip about it," he shrugged. "Also, and I don't like admitting this, I am a proud guy. I didn't want to say I was sorry yesterday, in the closet. I'm sorry about that as well, I'm sure you hate me now..."

Kazahaya smiled a teeny bit, more than a little ecstatic to hear Rikuo apologizing so sincerely. "I don't hate you... anymore." He looked up at Rikuo, then back down at his hands, feeling the need to reiterate one question he asked yesterday. He met Rikuo's eyes when he spoke seriously.

"Why did you write something so... mean, in the first place?"

Rikuo took a while to answer, thinking about the best way to respond. "I guess I just enjoy seeing you riled up," he grinned when Kazahaya scoffed.

Kazahaya ducked his head down, grinning to himself, focusing on his pencil eraser.

"So," Rikuo got his classmate's attention back. "Friends?"

"Friends?" Kazahaya repeated, smiling in humor.

"Yeah, why not?" Rikuo smiled back, making Kazahaya's heart stop.

Kazahaya stuttered, looking down at his lap. "I-I don't know, I'll have to think about it," he tried to make it sound like a joke.

Rikuo took it as that, snickering. "I'll see you around," he turned and grabbed the door handle again, taking one more look at his new 'friend' and letting himself out, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

Kazahaya sat still for a moment, letting Rikuo's words and apology sink in. It seemed very... un-Rikuo like.

But Kazahaya was more than willing to accept his apology. Perhaps the longing was lurking somewhere inside him, the longing that Rikuo would actually come to him and talk to him like a normal human being.

Kazahaya lay back on his bed, a smile on his face.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Told ya," Fai sang, dancing around his shared kitchen as he prepared lunch.

A peanut butter and jelly sandwich with strawberry slices inside.

Kazahaya sighed, leaning against the counter next to Fai as he sliced strawberries.

"You told me nothing," Kazahaya started. "You are the most un-reliable friend in the world."

"Aw, don't say stuff like that. I gave you advice," a smile remained on Fai's face as the knife came down on a strawberry, red juice trickling down the blade. Kazahaya watched to keep his thoughts focused.

"You said I needed Rikuo. Now when you say stuff like that, it makes me think bad thoughts. Are you trying to make me think bad thoughts?" Kazahaya glared at the fruit, as if directing his question to it.

Fai giggled. "No, I just like saying cryptic things, it's what magicians do." He nodded. "I've been watching the show _Merlin_ recently."

"I don't care what you've been watching."

Fai pretended not to hear Kazahaya. "And it's made me realize I am far too modern for my occupation."

"Being a mage is a job?"

"I think I'll go back in time, to the world of King Author, and take notes how I should really be bringing myself up." Fai started building his sandwich, peanut butter and jelly already on their designated bread slices.

"…" Kazahaya had no more fruit to stare at to keep his mind focused.

"Is something bad going to happen?" Kazahaya asked out of the blue, causing Fai to actually pause in the middle of opening the fridge door for milk.

Kazahaya continued. "That's what I was getting at before you went off about _Merlin_. Because you say I'll be lost without Rikuo," Kazahaya paused. "Since I met you, I now believe in magical things, and wouldn't exclude the notion that there are others out there like you or perhaps with different powers, who would try to do harm…" Kazahaya caught himself, as if he didn't realize how serious his tone was. "Ah, like that one character on _Merlin_ whose betraying Author so she can rule the world or something like that…" He scratched his neck.

Fai blinked. "Huh," he grabbed the milk carton and set it on the counter next to Kazahaya.

He faced Kazahaya, smile back in place. "Nothing bad is going to happen, that's not what I meant when I said you two need each other. It's nothing cheesy either, it's something about you, but I'm afraid I can't divulge more information about it than that," Fai turned to grab a mug from the cupboard. "Let's just say," Fai began again after noticing Kazahaya's quizzical look. "That you are unaware of something… special, which has been developing for a while. Once you find out what this special something is, then it will come to you with full force of knowledge and understanding."

"… Can't you just tell me?" Kazahaya whined.

"Nope," Fai's eyebrows danced. "That's the fun part. But I sense that Rikuo has something special and could help you along. We are all capable of discovering our abilities, but it's always nice to have someone there to help speed the process along. And it's even better when that someone is close to you. This is why I insist you stay around Rikuo."

Kazahaya listened, he hardly ever took Fai seriously, but what he was speaking right now was fascinating, albeit a little difficult to understand…

"Why can't you help me?"

"Ah. Because, my spastic friend," Kazahaya rolled his eyes. "I already know what it is. In our world, that would be considered cheating.

Kazahaya curled his fingers around his chin, an action he commonly did when he was deep in thought. Fai grinned.

"… Am I a mage?" Kazahaya raised an eyebrow.

Fai laughed. "I can't tell you! But I'll give you a hint: probably not."


	7. Something like that

Okay so, Rikuo and Kazahaya were friends, sorta... again... sort of.

Now what?

_And so it begins again... _Kazahaya let his mind wander in AP English, thinking about how it was Monday, again. Same old 8 God-too-many classes, again. AP English, Public Speaking, Study Hall, Economy, Trigonometry, Astrology, PE, and World History, in that order. A yawn tore through Kazahaya's throat, the teacher pretended not to notice.

Kazahaya had been up til the wee hours of the morning doing his homework that he'd blown off to hang out with Fai, think about Rikuo, play video games with Fai, fantasize about Rikuo, blow up Fai's stove trying to make chicken... stalking Rikuo to the senior lounge yesterday.

Sometimes it was hard to believe Kazahaya was a straight A student.

_Sunday:_

It was just one of those days where Kazahaya was feeling particularly bored… _particularly_ being the key word.

Kazahaya called it boredom, but what it really was was sexual frustration. Although Kazahaya refused to believe it (he was _not _a horny teenage boy God _dammit_!), his oh so innocent looking green notebook held a loud neon flashing sign that read in big bold print: "Parental Advisory: Explicit Content."

Metaphorically, of course.

This was how Kazahaya's _particular_ boredom was sated.

He crept around a corner, precisely twenty steps behind Rikuo, making sure to never lose sight of him. Kazahaya imagined the "Mission Impossible" theme playing in the background.

Following him all the way to the senior lounge, Kazahaya still remained undetected. Which was actually not too surprising- he _had_ been at this for the better part of a year. Practice really did make perfect.

Kazahaya sat against a back wall, behind a standing lamp, tucking his knees up and setting his notebook in his lap, preparing to get comfortable. Rikuo flopped down on one of the plush green couches, seemingly unconcerned for those around him.

If only Rikuo knew of the audience he carried with him. Kazahaya shifted where he sat, sitting in a way where Rikuo wouldn't be able to see his face, but not awkwardly so people passing by wouldn't give him a second thought. He took his pen from the bindings and opened the notebook, letting his mind wander to impure thoughts as his fingers grazed the graphite covered pages.

The forbidden notebook... as Fai liked to call it.

It hadn't been written in in a while, but recently, Kazahaya had been actually _talking_ to the object of his secret desires, so the notebook was useless really. But it's owner thought today might be a good day for a come back... not because he was horny.

Kazahaya was excited... not sexually aroused. There is a difference!

The character posing as Rikuo in Kazahaya's stories is almost exactly like his predecessor. _Roku_ follows all of Rikuo's personality traits… except Roku is more polite… and smiles more. But Roku is described in bed as rough, passionate, and silent. It's what Kazahaya thinks Rikuo would be like.

Rough and silent isn't exactly what Kazahaya would want out of a man…a virgin, Kazahaya wants to be treated precious, gentle, and loved above a level he could handle. Kazahaya rested his chin on his knees, getting distracted by watching his target. He wondered if Rikuo had such a side.

Rikuo's chin was tilted up; head settled against the top of the couch and eyes closed. Green earbuds dug into his ears, connected to a black iPod in one of his hands, and lips moving slightly to whatever lyrics were playing. Kazahaya's eyes rested again on that neck; so long when it was stretched back… Kazahaya wondered briefly how a boy could look so perfect. He imagined himself curled up next to that perfect body, head nuzzled in the crook of Rikuo's neck, feeling that flawless, tan skin with his lips and tongue. Kazahaya contemplated how it would taste. Something between spicy and salty. Kazahaya licked his lips before gnawing his bottom lip. He finally looked down at the blank page. The temptations were back on like they had never left.

He struggled for words but Kazahaya began to write, peeking up at Rikuo every so often to catch any detail he missed. He loved describing Roku. Kazahaya elaborated how Roku's long legs, hidden inside dark blue baggy jeans, spread out and open, so like a teenage boy, and how he slouches slightly, but still able to nod his head back against the couch he was sitting on. Roku was tall, 5'11 probably. Maybe It was all the height was in his torso, that would explain why, even though he's obviously slouched, a quick glance would give the allusion that he was upright.

Kazahaya scribbled furiously, always wanting to get the details right before going into forbidden territory. He set the pencil's eraser upon his lips, peeking up at Rikuo through his bangs. He watched Rikuo's lips move. He scribbled that down, but not Rikuo's lips moving alone, but against another pair. A pair of lips that were much smaller in comparison; thinner, lighter in color. Kazahaya's character name was Kora. Why? Well, honestly at first, Kazahaya chose it because it was a girl's name, that way if anyone did discover the notebook, they wouldn't be too tempted to continue reading... but if the reader knew it was two guys, they might be curiously inclined to read on. Kazahaya didn't know, he just guessed.

But Kora was indeed a man, well, a young adult, albeit with many feminine characteristics. Kazahaya couldn't deny his girly assets, even down to his skittish attitude. He supposed it wasn't a very attractive trait, but maybe to another gay man, it would be?

Kazhaya shook his head, he had lost track of his surroundings. He really hadn't written in a while, he almost felt sorry for his characters, abandoning them. Kazhaya glanced up at Rikuo and quickly back down to the page in front of him and began to write. Rikuo had licked his lips, and his eyes were still closed. God, did Rikuo know how sexy he was without trying?

Kora, already seated next to Roku, slithered up his side, getting in the crook of Roku's neck and kissing the spot right below the ear lobe. Roku shuddered, angling his head away, eyes still closed. Kora slid a leg up onto Roku's lap, knee brushing his groin before settling between his legs. Roku hummed as Kora continued with the light touches, feeling Kora press his hand against his chest, moving it up to his shoulder and back down to his stomach, threatening to go lower, all the while trailing his nose up Roku's neck, giving the top of his ear a little nip.

Roku slid an arm around Kora's waist, pulling him close. Kora obliged, straightening up to press his hips to Roku's rib cage, forcing him to sit up and finally look up into his honey gold eyes. As Kora looked down, his light hair fell around his face, tickling Roku's cheeks and forehead, he smiled, leaning down for a kiss.

Kazhaya stopped writing, telling himself he would finish later, and saving the embarrassment of getting a potential boner... he had already started to feel the familiar tingle of arousal in his genitals.

Which was fine as Rikuo had pulled out a worn paper pack from seemingly nowhere and began to read. Kazahaya noticed the title: Of Mice and Men, no doubt a book the seniors were reading for 12th Grade English... Kazhaya's AP English class had just begun reading Lord of the Flies, which he was already half way through; the story was far too interesting to read in increments.

And now we're back to Monday, in said AP English class, the teacher going over the major characters of the book so far and actually trying to connect it back to a TV show called Lost. Kazahaya had heard of the show, but never had seen it. The teacher was awesome enough, right then, to spend the last 20 minutes of class playing the pilot episode of Lost. Kazahaya sighed, and rested his chin on his desk as the lights clicked off. Kazhaya watched with disinterest, and connected it automatically, it was far too obvious... he wondered if maybe the writer's of Lost had read Lord of the Flies and were inspired... the creepy, mysterious "monster" in the trees couldn't be that original.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Hey," Rikuo greeted Kazahaya as he sat down next to him.

Kazahaya smiled widely, trying to fight down the butterflies in his stomach. Geez, wasn't it in this room, just a couple days ago, that Rikuo had made his life a living hell? It was almost sad how quickly Kazahaya accepted his apology... then again, the rumors and teasing had already left. Perhaps another, more interesting piece of gossip already fluttering around the school halls.

"Hi," Kazahaya responded, taking out his notebook and folder for Public Speaking.

Rikuo watched him, Kazahaya didn't notice.

"I saw you in the lounge yesterday."

Kazahaya froze, but calmed himself down soon after, it's not like Rikuo knew what he was doing, becoming stiff would only make him suspicious.

"Oh, really?" Kazahaya spoke, licking his lips.

"Yeah, what were you doing hiding behind a lamp?" Rikuo grinned, a tease ready to come out after whatever answer Kazahaya responded with.

"I wasn't _hiding_," Kazahaya drew out the word like it was obvious, keeping his eyes on his notebook as he flipped through the pages. "That's just a spot I like to sit."

"Instead of a chair or couch?" Rikuo continued to grin, hoping to get a rise out of Kazhaya, no doubt.

"I like the carpet, it smells like Fabreze," Kazahaya explained, scratching his ear. Oh, a wicked thought struck him. Well, more like inspiration; sex on the floor next to a fire place. He didn't know where the fireplace came from, but it was there, and he needed to scribble this idea down before he forgot...

Rikuo sniggered. Kazahaya continued speaking before Rikuo could open his mouth.

"And if you saw me, why didn't you say hello?" Kazahaya finally looked up at Rikuo, aware that class had started.

Rikuo shrugged. "You looked busy, writing in that notebook so furiously..." He trailed off, expecting Kazahaya to explain what he had been writing.

Kazahaya decided to do a tiny bit of flirting, just answering with a mischievous smile that actually made Rikuo's grin falter with confusion or surprise. Either one Kazahaya was happy with, as he turned to the front of the class, deciding to give the teacher his full attention.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"So, why do you live in the underclassmen dorms?" Rikuo asked Kazahaya after class as they both gathered up their things into their bags.

Kazahaya opened his mouth to answer but closed it, thinking of another question.

"Why do you know where my room is?"

Kazahaya could see Rikuo roll his eyes. "The nurse told me. That day when you fainted in class, the teacher wanted me to find out if you were OK, so I asked the nurse where your room was." He explained then hesitated.

"What happened that day anyway?"

Kazahaya stood up, pulling his back pack over his shoulders, a curious look on his face. "Why are you interested?"

Rikuo made a face like he was affronted. "Because I am."

Kazahaya sighed, beginning to walk out of the room, Rikuo followed.

He didn't want to tell Rikuo the truth, but then he heard Fai's obnoxious rambling in his head about the bull crap that Rikuo and him needed each other. He decided to be honest.

"It's weird, but I felt like I had this... vision," he paused to look at Rikuo's expression; unchanged.

Kazahaya moved his hands as he spoke. "I got this really weird sensation, like being sucked through a wind tunnel, instead of just a normal 'get light headed, dizzy, and faint' routine. While I was out, I saw a girl, I think, I don't remember what she was wearing, but her back was to me, and she had long, dark hair..." Kazahaya trailed off, peeking up at Rikuo and furling his eyebrows at his reaction, in worry.

Rikuo's mouth was open slightly, his walking had slowed to a snails pace, and his eyes were narrow, almost in thought, but he was staring right at Kazahaya.

"What?" Kazahaya asked, halting his steps.

"Um," Rikuo darted his eyes away then back. "Anything else?"

"Ah... well, don't laugh, I don't think this has any significance, but I felt an overwhelming..." Kazahaya brought his hands up to his chest, as if lifting something. "... sadness," he finished, running a hand through his hair and meeting Rikuo's eyes again.

It took a while for Rikuo to answer, but he did, taking a step to resume walking again. "Wow... well, I think that might mean something actually,"

Kazahaya raised an eyebrow, speculative.

"Don't worry, I believe you, and I don't think you're, ah, crazy or anything like that," Rikuo checked his watch. Kazahaya blinked. He thought people had stopped wearing watches.

"No? Not crazy?" Kazahaya prompted further, smiling a bit.

"Maybe a little, spaz," Rikuo smirked, Kazahaya sighed irritably.

"Shut up," as Kazahaya struggled for a come back, Rikuo spoke.

"We're gonna be late for class. I'll see you during lunch," and with that, Rikuo jogged off in the opposite direction. Kazahaya stood, dumbfounded. Lunch? Rikuo wanted to eat lunch with him?

Kazahaya pumped a fist in the air. Score!

And the late bell rang.

Shit.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Hey guyzzz I have plot bunnies bouncing around my head! It's an exciting moment... for me, anyway. :)


	8. Rikuo's House

**WARNING! LONG A.N. IS LONG :O**

Hey readers :)

Thanks for all the positive reviews (and the demands that I move more quickly! lol) it really helped in spurring me on in my time of need...

I moved... again. So I've been busy, of course. I find myself in a disgusting old trailer that I've been cleaning and organizing for the past couple weeks... obviously I'm still without Internet... I'm just a sad, ridiculously poor college graduate with two jobs :P I hate being an adult!

Please send gifts and donations through my PayPal lol

One more thing, I am surprised no one, in all the Legal Drug stories I write, has commented on my lack of accuracy on Kazahaya's hair. I am aware that in the manga it is brown, but in the black and white chapters, it's white, and I've always associated that with blonde.

Besides... he acts kinda like a blonde ANYWAY so... lawl :D

NEW CHAPTER OF DRUG & DROP OMG GO READ IT! FFFFFH8RHGIOEHGJ!? i love kazahaya so much he's my boo X3

-le hyper-

**Also, thanks **A3shFaerie** for editing this chapter and pointing out all the errors that are no longer visible! Mua ha ha!**

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kazahaya was in Rikuo's house.

Well, a lodge on campus that he and Kurogane shared, but still...

Wow.

Kazahaya had been bouncing in the line for lunch in the cafeteria; well aware that he had never seen Rikuo attend school lunch since he'd been here, and so wasn't actually too surprised when he was tugged out of the line and invited over to Rikuo's for homemade lunch.

Kazahaya was ecstatic.

He was still in the doorway of the small house, observing the living room before him: the brown leather couch atop a wooden floor, with a similar coffee table center, and facing an analog TV propped up on a desk. There was also an Xbox on the coffee table, along with two controllers and game titles stacked next to the TV. It was also messy; there were papers, books, soda cans, and articles of clothing scattered around the space.

"Sorry about the mess," Rikuo began, stripping off his hoodie, the friction causing his t-shirt to rise just under his chest.

Kazahaya flushed, noticing well-toned abs before it was hidden again as the shirt fell back down. Rikuo draped his hoodie over a chair.

"I swear I'm not this messy. This is mostly Kurogane," he gestured to the ridiculousness in the living room before heading into the adjacent kitchen.

"I don't mind..." Kazahaya spoke quietly, replaying that lovely image of Rikuo's stomach exposure over and over again in his mind. Taking off his own jacket, hesitantly hanging it on the coat rack that was next to the door. He followed Rikuo into the kitchen, wrinkling his nose at the sudden smell.

"Ah shit, forgot to take out the garbage..." Rikuo stood over the overflowing bin, willing it to change itself, and sighed, mumbling, "I'll do it later."

Kazahaya sniggered, pulling out a chair from the table and taking a seat, watching Rikuo.

"Sorry if this is weird," Rikuo turned to address Kazahaya since they had been in his house. "You coming over, I mean. I just never eat the school's food. It's nasty."

_Fai would agree,_ Kazahaya thought. Even though Fai did still eat most of his meals at the school. Yay for convenience.

"It's fine, and I don't think it's weird. If I didn't want to come I would have declined," Kazahaya rubbed his hands over his knees.

Rikuo smiled at himself. "Right," he opened the fridge and took out lettuce, tomatoes, ham, and other ingredients. "What would you like to eat?"

"Um..." Kazahaya sat up a little more. "Whatever you're having, I guess."

"A ham sandwich with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and cheese on toasted wheat bread?"

Kazahaya's mouth watered. It sounded so simple, but also so incredibly delicious. "Yes, please."

Rikuo laughed lightly, taking the bread out of a cabinet.

"So, uh, where's Kurogane?" Kazahaya asked.

Rikuo shrugged as he took out a cutting board and knife. "Probably having lunch at school. He does sometimes, with your friend... Fai, right?" Rikuo looked over at Kazahaya for confirmation.

"Yeah." Kazahaya used to be jealous of Fai and Kurogane's "relationship," but now here he was, alone with Rikuo, watching him prepare food for him.

Rikuo obviously wasn't a huge douche bag all the time.

"Do you need any help?" Kazahaya stood up, meandering over to Rikuo.

"Nah, I'm good. It's just sandwiches." Rikuo said, cutting thin slices of tomatoes.

Kazahaya suddenly felt nervous, swaying back and forth. Rikuo was very relaxed though, obviously comfortable in his own home. Kazahaya inconspicuously studied Rikuo's grip on the knife handle, leaning sideways against the counter so he wasn't awkwardly standing behind the other student.

He observed the tendons pushing up through his dark skin... Rikuo wasn't gripping the handle hard, though, maybe it was just the way his hand was turned or how his fingers were curled around the plastic.

A silence filled the space between the boys as the knife came down swiftly onto the red plant.

"So, uh..." Rikuo broke the quiet, setting down the knife and opening up the packaged lettuce. Kazahaya's ears perked.

"That 'vision' you experienced in class, have you ever felt something like that before?"

Kazahaya folded his lips inward, his gaze lingering up to Rikuo's eyes, which he found to be focused on the food.

"Well, I remember vaguely something similar happening at school last year, but it was winter, and I was outside. The nurse said I was out for a while because I was suffering from hypothermia or something like that," he waved his hand, dismissing it. Rikuo turned to look at Kazahaya.

"Kurogane was actually the one that found me. Luckily he didn't go home that winter... no one would have been around to find me if he had."

"Now that you mention it, I do remember Kurogane saying that to me," Rikuo met Kazahaya's eyes. He smiled ruefully then.

"I feel like a dick for forgetting something that intense, sorry."

Kazahaya's eyes lit up, feeling a strange emotion coming from nowhere.

"Thanks... it's okay though," he looked down, rubbing the back of his neck, a blush threatening to arise.

Rikuo continued to stare at Kazahaya; the blonde could feel his gaze upon him.

"Um, and for as long as I can remember, I've always suffered from dizzy spells. I remember once my parent's taking me to a doctor about it. My heart is fine, and so are my blood levels, so he passed it off as a thing that kids go though, I guess. But I still get them... and not just when I stand up too quickly or after exercise either," Kazahaya elaborated, meeting Rikuo's stare again, his embarrassment erased.

"Hm..." Rikuo looked away, back to tearing lettuce.

"So, it's just dizzy spells, nothing else?" Rikuo further queried, taking the separate lettuce to the sink to wash.

"I usually never remember the details," Kazahaya started, taking a step forward, just so Rikuo could hear him over the running water. "But I know I—more often than not—have brief dreams during them. Especially when I faint or lose consciousness entirely..."

Kazahaya had turned to look out the window distractedly, so he wasn't prepared when Rikuo turned away from the sink and full on bumped into him. Kazahaya got a chest full of dripping wet lettuce, but it didn't fall to the floor. On reaction, Kazahaya brought his hands up to make sure of it.

But the only thing currently going through Kazahaya's mind was that, during their brief collision, their noses had brushed, and Kazahaya had almost tasted Rikuo's breath as he gasped in surprise.

And now Kazahaya's hands were cupped under Rikuo's, his fingertips holding onto any greens that threatened to spill over.

"God," Rikuo breathed out. Kazahaya felt his heart hammering in his chest. "You don't have to stand so close to me, you know."

"Sorry," Kazahaya mumbled, staring at the lettuce in their hands.

A few seconds of awkward tension passed. Kazahaya didn't dare look up, fearing he would bump his nose into Rikuo again... or his lips...

"Okay, just... carefully help me carry this over to the cutting board," Rikuo finally spoke, collecting his thoughts, no doubt. Kazahaya felt hot air hitting his hair as he spoke. He swallowed hard.

"Yeah," he agreed, and gingerly took a step sideways with Rikuo, dumping the lettuce on the counter together. Kazahaya pulled his hands out from under Rikuo's, feeling wet skin on skin for a short moment. It was oddly exhilarating.

Rikuo wiped his hands on his pants, glancing over at Kazahaya and chuckling lightly, it sounded forced though.

"Geez, I got your shirt all wet," Rikuo looked away after he spoke, seeming to forget about the food before them.

Kazahaya looked down. His shirt was indeed soaked, from his collar to his mid-section. He wore a light, white t-shirt. Kazahaya instantly felt embarrassed, and over exposed. Up until now, he didn't understand why people wore undershirts and so always just wore a shirt and nothing else. As the damp shirt clung to his skin, the outline of his chest and collarbones suddenly visible, he understood why layering was popular.

"Ah, it's fine. It'll dry..." Kazahaya quickly took the end seam of his shirt and waved it up and down, so air moved through the material.

"Not before we have to head back to school," Rikuo spoke again, giving Kazahaya his full attention.

"My room is the last door at the end of the hallway back there," he pointed to the living room. Kazahaya turned his head to look.

"Pick any shirt, I don't care. You can wear it for the day. Hang your shirt in the bathroom somewhere... that's the next door from my room."

Kazahaya felt his neck heat up. "Oh, I couldn't do that..."

"I insist," Rikuo retorted. Kazahaya blinked. Rikuo turned away from Kazahaya again, sighing and running a hand through his hair.

"I'm trying to be nice," Rikuo explained, despite the sarcastic look in his eyes.

Kazahaya smiled, suddenly finding the situation humorous. "Must be hard for you; being polite."

Rikuo raised an eyebrow. Kazahaya grinned widely; it was a wonderful look for Rikuo.

"Fuck you," he said slowly. It was unexpected, but Kazahaya took it as a joke, even though Rikuo still wasn't smiling.

Rikuo was becoming predictable.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kazahaya stood shirtless in Rikuo's room, having dumped his damp shirt on the edge of the bathtub.

He brought his arms up to cross them across his chest, feeling chilly. There was no heater in the room. He suddenly regretted taking his shirt off first.

Kazahaya briskly walked to Rikuo's closet, inspecting the room as he did so. It wasn't messy, just disorganized. Posters lined the wall, textbooks and homework papers piled up on the desk, on either side of his desktop computer, a laundry basket piled with dirty clothes in the corner, a full bookshelf, and a soccer ball also decorated the room, among other random possessions. It was very... boyish, if Kazahaya could describe the room in one word.

Kazahaya looked through the small closet, not wanting to be a snoop, but unable to help himself as he peeked around quickly. A small collection of shoes and boots on the floor, a shelf with magazines (Kazahaya instantly thought Rikuo could save more room by moving those to his book shelf); Sports Illustrated, video game magazines, one playboy magazine, Kazahaya noticed. He picked it up and flipped through it briefly, setting it back down without really seeing the pictures. There were a few closed boxes as well, which Kazahaya didn't bother going through, fearing he would be caught in the act.

He finally moved on to the hanging shirts and jackets, his original purpose for entering the room, and slid individuals along the metal pole, wincing at the sound of the hanger scraping along it.

Each one he pulled out, thinking he could wear it, was too big, as he inspected it along his torso. Kazahaya would put each back with a sigh, and continue his search.

Kazahaya finally found one a little smaller than the rest. It was black, short sleeve, with a hideous gray design of skulls and crosses. He slipped it on, feeling the fabric hang loosely on him.

The smell of Rikuo had been obvious when Kazahaya entered the room, now it was overpowering. Kazahaya smiled, giggling lightly as he pulled at the shirt.

"What are you laughing about?"

Kazahaya yelped, turning suddenly to face Rikuo as he also entered the room, carrying two plates with thick sandwiches.

"N-nothing," Kazahaya comically clasped his hands behind his back nervously, tilting his head so he stared at a corner of the room.

Rikuo grinned, sitting on his bed. "Yeah, okay," he didn't sound convinced though, as he set a plate next to him and the other in his lap.

Kazahaya stared.

"... Well, sit," Rikuo offered, picking up half his sandwich (he cut them in half) and taking a big bite.

Kazahaya mouthed an "Oh," and took a seat at the end of the bed so he wasn't too close to Rikuo. He hoped it didn't seem obvious that he was embarrassed to sit on another guy's bed...

Kazahaya pulled his plate over, taking a piece. "You don't believe in eating at a table?"

Rikuo swallowed. "No," then took another bite.

Kazahaya rolled his eyes, feeling a tad too awkward, but tried to get over it. Different customs for different people... and all that. He took a nibble out of his sandwich.

Rikuo cleared his throat. "Actually, I just wanted to come in unannounced and see if you were going through my things," he said calmly.

Kazahaya felt nervous, although he hadn't actually snooped much at all. He still dropped his food in a jittery movement, groaning at himself after wards.

Rikuo grinned in amusement. "Did you?"

"No, of course not!" Kazahaya defended himself quickly, trying to put his sandwich back together.

Once Rikuo's grin had faded, and Kazahaya had his sandwich back under control, he spoke up again.

"This is really good, by the way," Kazahaya took a huge bite for emphasis.

"Thanks," Rikuo responded nonchalantly.

"And... thanks for having me over," Kazahaya spoke once more.

"No problem," Rikuo shrugged.

A comfortable silence washed over the boys, the sound of chewing food not as weird as it should have been.

_Is this what friends do?_ Kazahaya wondered, taking a peek at Rikuo as he took his last bite.


	9. Kurogane and the mage

AN: Kurogane's mind wanders a lot...

A cookie for those who can tell me which series the new character that pops up comes from (hint, I'm trying to be cool like CLAMP and include characters from other manga series').

Thanks again to **A3shFaerie **for pointing out the flaws. Also a big thanks to **glostarz** for helping me fluff up this chapter (make it seem longer than it really is lol)

This small chapter is written from Kurgane's perspective. Chapters like this will pop up from time to time, giving up an inside look at his and Fai's relationship. Enjoy!

Chapter 10 will be up in a few days :) Honestly! Lol, it's so exciting! He he!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kurogane hated study hall. It was, quite possibly, the worst "class" of the day. Nothing got done, kids talked loudly or fell asleep, and there might as well not be a teacher for all the supervision there was... he looked like he was falling asleep at the desk too (no matter how large his coffee mug was). But mostly he hated study hall because of one student...

He tried to get homework done, but Kurogane was distracted, and it wasn't his own fault, for a change.

There was a blonde head in front of him, constantly bobbing up and down without fail. Atop this blonde head were large purple Skull Candy headphones, attached to an ironically tiny mp3 player that matched to the color purple. Color coordinated... _really_?

The body this blonde head and monstrosity of an mp3 player belonged to? Fai D. Flourite.

"Hey," Kurogane spoke loudly, not caring that he was breaking the golden rule of study hall, or if his random ass classmates were startled. Fai, of course, didn't twitch.

Kurogane grunted, he leaned forward in his desk and poked the back of Fai's head with his pencil eraser. The blonde finally responded, taking off his headphones, letting them come to rest over his shoulders, and turning in his seat to face Kurogane, one arm over the back of the chair. His dangling fingers immediately starting to tap a tune on the back of his seat.

"Oh, hey Kuro-poo," Fai greeted him with a smile, his blue eyes sparkling... maybe it was a trick of the light.

Kurogane narrowed his eyebrows deeply, sighing, and decided to not yell at Fai about the nickname, like he usually did. It wasn't like the blonde ever listened anyway.

"Could you please stop moving around? You're a distraction," Kurogane spoke lowly, seriously. Fai just giggled.

"Only to you, Kuro-sweetie," he winked. Kurogane made a disgusted face. "And you love it when I distract you," Fai finished, his eyes turning mischievous, daring Kurogane to disagree.

"Stop it with the nicknames," Kurogane ignored the last comment. "I never gave you permission to call me anything else but my first name," Kurogane whispered harshly afterward. Fai's smile remained, but his eyes became dramatically sad. The bigger senior narrowed his eyes. He knew the stare now was fake, but he couldn't help but think that Fai tended to make that look occasionally, when he thought Kurogane wasn't watching...

Fai stuck his tongue out. "It can't be helped that your name has two syllables and the first part goes great with anything I tag at the end... Kuro-puppy." His eyes danced again, the "sadness" gone and mischief back at the surface.

Kurogane sighed. No matter what the two were talking about, the subject of nicknames always came up, and Kurogane always dropped it... at least when they were in public. Then he went home and bitched about it later. Rikuo's poor ear.

"Just turn around- and stop bouncing! It's annoying," Kurogane meant to end the conversation there. He brought his book up slightly to try and block Fai from his line of sight so he could try to get back to the work that he never even started.

Fai drummed his fingers on the back of the chair, his lip curling up on one side. He scooted his chair so it touched the front of the bigger boy's desk, and waited until Kurogane met his eyes.

Fai whispered, "I will never stop!" and poked Kurogane's nose.

Kurogane constantly asked himself why he still tormented himself by bothering to converse with Fai. He didn't know what it was, but something kept drawing him back. Kind of annoying, really. Kurogane knew he had better things to do with his time... things he couldn't think of at the moment, but certainly _things_ that were more important.

Kurogane put his head down again.

Things had quieted down for a while until the bell rang, the student's chatter suddenly increasing tenfold and the sound of chairs scraping against tiled floor. Kurogane stood up quickly as well, after gathering his things into his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. A part of him wanted to wait for Fai, but he maneuvered briskly out of the classroom door anyway, sighing and then yelling in surprise when he almost ran over the blue-eyed blonde, who just seemed to appear out of no where.

"Why are you always in such a hurry, Kuro-"

"Shh," Kurogane had pressed a finger against Fai's lips, his rare maroon eyes narrow.

Fai's smile expanded even more under Kurogane's finger, flicking his tongue out playfully against the pad of Kurogane's finger. The latter pulled his hand back, crossing his arms, and grimacing.

"You really need to stop that," Kurogane began walking, "and the licking thing, it's gross." Fai kept up easily, a little more bounce in his step.

"Stop what?" The tone in Fai's voice made it obvious that he knew exactly what Kurogane meant.

"Sneaking. You're far too good at it," Kurogane admitted, observing the people they passed out of habit.

"Thanks, I was hoping you'd notice. I have been practicing you know."

Kurogane shook his head. Fai continued to stare up at him, not paying attention and accidentally running into someone.

Fai almost fell back from the force, even though as he looked up at the angry face, he noticed the boy he knocked into wasn't any bigger than himself.

"Hey, watch where you're going, fairy!" The young man spat, his black hair falling in his face.

Kurogane recognized him as Koryuu, a junior with a sour attitude. Kurogane opened his mouth to insult him back when Fai's polite voice chirped up.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Are you alright?"

Kurogane looked at Fai, confused.

"Fuck off," Koryuu pushed past the boys, bumping into Fai's shoulder intentionally. Kurogane turned and harshly snagged him by the wrist.

"What-"

"I believe Fai asked you a question, you ungrateful shit," Kurogane spoke with a menacing undertone, glaring right into Koryuu's eyes.

A heavy silence fell over the boys, Fai's smile actually faltering as he looked between Kurogane and Koryuu.

The junior ripped his hand out of Kurogane's grasp; he let him go.

"Yes, I'm fine," he spat out quickly, not even looking at Fai, and stomping off.

Kurogane stood up straight, having had to bend down slightly to get eye level with the underclassman. He sighed.

"Ridiculous."

Fai jumped up. "Thanks for saving me, Kuro-poo!" He went to wrap his arms around Kurogane who carefully, but forcefully, shoved him back.

"What is wrong with you?" Kurogane asked seriously, ignoring the stares of other students.

Fai blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean..." he waved his hands in the air, frustrated, as if trying to grab a hold of something.

"Why do you smile all the time?" He spoke softly, confusion covering his eyes, but also concern.

"... I like smiling, it's better than frowning, right?"

"Everyone has to frown eventually, Fai. You never do. Every time I see you, you are always smiling, but unless it's for play... it never reaches your eyes."

Fai's heart stuttered. He looked at the floor.

"I'm just... always happy. Is it wrong to keep up a positive attitude?" Fai looked back up, a broken smile that only Kurogane saw through.

The darker boy shook his head. "No one is happy all the time," he spoke softly again. "That's just the truth. You have to cry sometimes."

Fai's jaw fell, unsure of how to respond.

"We'll talk more later, if you want," Kurogane said, moving away, unaware how close he had gotten to Fai. The toes of their shoes were touching.

Fai didn't respond, for once. Looking around and finally noticing the hallway was bare. The late bell would ring soon, if it hadn't already.

"See you," Kurogane turned and walked away. Fai stayed where he stood, only collapsing to the ground and crying when Kurogane was out of sight.


	10. Baby, if you love me

Hee, lookit me quickly updating, you lucky lovers you!

Actually I had been waiting to write this chapter since I first came up with Skool Daze... you'll see why! Oh ho ho!

BUA thanks for the super awesome and speedy reviews guys! I feel so spoiled right now, you have no idea 8D and your positive feedback and suggestions make me wanna _please_ you. Oh, baby, lemme pleeease you~

Thank you **A3shFaerie **AND** glostarz **for editing this chapter for meee.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Three weeks had passed since Kazahaya had visited Rikuo for lunch... they seemed to go by very fast. Kazahaya didn't pay attention, not even realizing that October 31st, Halloween, was right around the corner.

He wasn't paying attention because he was mostly concentrating his entire being on growing his relationship with Rikuo... which was actually kind of hard to do.

It seemed the closer Kazahaya got to Rikuo, the more a side to him started to show, a side that Kazahaya didn't particularly enjoy: teasing. Kazahaya supposed it was an improvement from when he first met Rikuo though; when he would hardly, if ever, talk to him.

Kazahaya sometimes wondered if he liked it better when Rikuo used to ignore him. The constant teasing now was really uncalled for and sometimes just plain rude. It sometimes got to the point where Kazahaya would take a swing at Rikuo, surprising himself at his own hostility. He would flare up again though, when Rikuo found his retaliations amusing.

Maybe it was the "true" Rikuo, the side of himself he never showed to his classmates... that would explain why his face is always one expression at school; stoic. Even now, Rikuo was still "The Brick Wall," until Kazahaya would greet him in class, or in the hall, then he would relax a bit, smirk, and tell Kazahaya his fly was undone.

_Ugh_.

_Is he flirting with me? Or does he just enjoy making me angry?_ Kazahaya would constantly ask himself these questions, but recently grew to ignore them, and just roll with the punches.

On a Thursday afternoon, Kazahaya sat alone in the cafeteria for lunch, not wondering if Rikuo was going to show up, and not thinking about when Fai would bound over. Just cutting his breaded chicken and ignoring the loud noise of people chattering around him, when...

"Kazahaya!" Fai pounced on his friend, making the golden eyed boy drop the fork he was using in a spaztic movement, eyes almost popping out of his skull to join the vegetables on his plate.

"What!" Kazahaya said impatiently, wiggling his body to make Fai get off.

Fai did, sitting next to him.

"Kurogane is hosting a Halloween costume party and he invited me," Fai smiled, but somehow Kazahaya knew he wasn't done talking. He raised his eyebrows in a "Please, continue" gesture.

"Well…" Fai rolled his head to the side, holding the suspense. Kazahaya frowned.

"He said I could invite a friend if I wanted to."

"… You want to me to go?" Kazahaya did not do parties, at all, especially with people who seemed to kill a fun atmosphere… how does Kurogane host a _party_? Kazahaya shuddered at the thought. And a costume party on top of that? What could he possibly wear?

"No, _you_ want you to go." Fai made a face, interrupting Kazahaya's train of thought and pointing at Kazahaya.

Kazahaya blinked, confused. "And, why would I want to go?"

"Because, duh, Rikuo Himura is going to be there." He stole Kazahaya's cookie and began nibbling on it.

Kazahaya paused, his mind slowly clicking that together and sighing at himself after wards. "How do you know Rikuo will actually _be_ there? He doesn't seem... social enough to be at a party. And give me the cookie." He held out his hand.

Fai shrugged. "I asked Kurogane who was on the guest list and he mentioned Rikuo." He licked the cookie, claiming it.

Kazahaya sighed, quickly mourning for his cookie, but deciding he had other things to worry about.

Like, Rikuo at a party? That was probably weirder than Kurogane actually hosting one. And... if Rikuo knew there would be a party going on in his apartment, why didn't he invite Kazahaya? Was it too soon? No, parties are like extreme versions of get togethers... making new friends. He scratched his head, shaking it, and groaning.

"Alright," Kazahaya nodded. "I'll go." He would find out for himself when he arrived.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kazahaya glanced around carefully.

Here he was, in Kurogane and Rikuo's lodge again, alone (for the moment, Fai, the wizard, had ditched him and ran off somewhere), and surrounded by juniors and seniors he would not normally associate himself with.

Kazahaya only knew Kurogane through Fai... although they were slowly becoming closer, more tollerable, because of mutual friendships. They never really spoke to one another though, just an nod or a short greeting when they passed each other down the hall. And whenever Kurogane was around the two blondes, he only maybe acknowledged Kazahaya, hanging about because of Fai, Kazahaya was certain.

Taking a single pretzel stick and having a seat near the snack infested table, a fat Jack-O-Lantern as the center piece, Kazahaya began to nibble, bored already. He looked around the surrounding area.

There was no real divider from the living room and dining room… just a table that was on the other side of the room… so it was more like one giant… room? Orange and black streamers criss-crossed along the ceiling, paper ghosts and plastic skulls decorated the rooms, and candy dishes could not be missed (perhaphs it was for the best that the naturally hyper Fai stay away from the sweets). Kazahaya briefly wondered who did the decorating; it didn't strike him as something Rikuo or Kurogane would do. It seemd too... jovial. He looked out the window, seeing the school building, a few lights on, siloueting the trees that blew in the wind. Angling his head, he then stared into the living area, making out a few bodies.

Kurogane was missing, surprisingly enough. Kazahaya smirked, having an idea where he might be- and more percisely who he might be with- and licking salt off the pretzel, trying to keep down a rising head ache he felt with every pulse of the loud music. He watched his classmates mingle. He recognized all of them, a few by name, most by face. He found Mukofujiwara, dressed as Dracula, Kazahaya guessed, who was chatting in a corner with Satarou (a... mouse?), a good friend of Kazahaya's from 10th grade. He also saw Hinata (a bumble bee), a girl he only knew because she was one of the more popular girls in school... not for her looks, but her outrageously naiive and polite personality.

The rest he couldn't place a definite name for, but there seemed to be an equal ratio between girls and boys... about twenty people overall; a little cramped in the small house.

No one bugged Kazahaya though, which was fine. He was so out of his element right now anyway... he hadn't even bothered finding a costume. He did manage, however, between himself and Fai, to look like a "rock star". He wore eyeliner (which took an hour to finally get on properly), gelled and spiked his hair messily (with help from Fai), wore a heavy chain necklace, with a ripped shirt and jeans... converse sneakers finished the nutty ansamble.

Kazahaya thought he looked ridiculous. And he wanted to rub his itchy eye, _god-dammit!_ He didn't want Rikuo seeing him like this. But... he would be in costume too, right?

"Are you trying to be a punk rock superstar?" A voice spoke right into Kazahaya's ear.

Kazahaya screetched as he stood up and spun around, getting dizzy and almost falling sideways onto the chair he had just leapt out of. Rikuo held his arms out, ready to catch him if Kazahaya did fall.

He laughed. "Damn, why are you so easily scared? It's hilarious," Rikuo grinned widely. Kazahaya blushed.

Rikuo wore a green hoodie and blue jeans, keys jingling with a grocery bag in one hand and two more bags in the other, straining against the weight inside.

No costume.

"You snuck up on me!" Kazahaya retorted, his voice getting lost in the chatter in the house as well as the loud music.

"You were oblivious," Rikuo countered, pushing past Kazahaya and setting the bags on the table, pocketing the keys, and taking three 6-packs out. The bottles clinked as he pulled them out and onto the table. Rikuo then pulled a large white bottle out of the other bag, setting that down as well and crumpling the bags together, walking over to the trash can to toss them.

"... What's that?" Kazahaya guestered to the bottles on the table.

Rikuo turned back, taking the handle of one of the cardboard bottle cases.

"Heineken and Vodka," he nodded to the tall glass bottle that was nearest to Kazahaya. He looked down at it then back up at Rikuo, following him to the fridge.

"I figured it was beer, but why do you have it?" Kazahaya yelled accusingly (only to be heard over the hip hop currently being blared), like a father to his underage son.

Rikuo popped up from the fridge door, laughing.

"Cos I'm young and don't give a shit... and Kurogane lent me the money," he answered sarcastically, but obviously, walking around Kazahaya to grab the next two 6-packs.

"Alcohol isn't aloud on campus!" Kazahaya squeaked, flailing his arms. "Also, how did you even get it?" Rikuo paused to finally look at Kazahaya bewilderedly.

"Um, one: who cares?" Rikuo threw the Heineken into the fridge, closing it, and facing Kazahaya again.

"And two: I hate parties, and so I plan on getting wasted to at least try and enjoy myself," he made a face like, _obviously_. "And fake ID, duh."

Kazahaya gaped like a fish, Rikuo grinned again.

"You are such a good student," he ruffled Kazahaya's messy hair.

Kazahaya slapped his hand away.

"If you don't like parties, why are you letting Kurogane have one?" Kazahaya crossed his arms, feeling even more silly in his getup than before.

Rikuo shrugged, walking deeper into the kitchen and pulling two glasses out of the cabinet, handing one to Kazahaya, who took it dubiously.

"Kurogane can do whatever he wants; I don't make any rules. If he wants to host a party, then he can. But I'm not helping in the clean up," he walked back to the snacks. A couple was on the other side of the table, munching on the chips and dip, greeting Rikuo as Kazahaya and him made their way back.

Rikuo grunted in response. He tore off the plastic and unscrewed the cap of the Vodka, pouring himself a generous amount into the glass.

"Here, lighten up," Rikuo addressed Kazahaya, who scowled, but let Rikuo pour some of the clear liquid into his glass as well, not even a quarter full.

Kazahaya studied the liquid in his glass, sniffing it. Rikuo set the bottle back down, grinning at Kazahaya's actions.

"Cheers," Rikuo lifted his glass slightly, taking a quick swig and swallowing slowly.

Kazahaya took a tiny sip after watching Rikuo, eyes bugging out after he swallowed, taking the rim of the glass as far away from his mouth as his arm allowed.

"Ugh! That's- that's awful, no," Kazahaya coughed.

Rikuo laughed, so did the girl and boy at the table, obviously witness to Kazahaya's reaction.

"Geez, have you never had alcohol before? Guess you're lucky I didn't buy the sake," Rikuo joked, taking a sip of his drink, watching Kazahaya with amused eyes and then setting his drink down.

"C'mere," Rikuo walked past Kazahaya, guesturing with his hand. Kazahaya followed, drink still in his hand. That shit just now he drank tasted... like perfume. If perfume had a taste.

"I haven't. What makes people enjoy it so much?" Kazahaya asked no one as he followed Rikuo on the short trip to the fridge. He watched Rikuo pull out a plastic bottle of cranberry juice.

"Try this, it should take the intensity down," he held the bottle up, cap already off. Kazahaya hesitantly held his glass out, letting Rikuo pour a good amount of the red juice in. After he capped it, Kazahaya swished the liquid around his glass, moving his hand around in a circle.

He took another sip, preparing for the worst.

After Kazahaya swallowed again, he remained still, smacking his lips and trying to figure out why it still tasted like perfume... cranberry scented perfume.

"Better?" Rikuo asked.

"A little," Kazahaya lied, forcing himself to take another sip.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Where did you come from anyway?" Kazahaya asked Rikuo. They were still in the kitchen, leaning against the counter, away from the party, and slowly drinking from the Vodka bottle. Some people had come in just to open the fridge and take a beer, ignoring the boys in conversation.

"... What do you mean?" Rikuo asked, running low on his second glass of the clear liquid, a can of Cola on the counter next to him.

"When you came up behind me," Kazahaya pointed toward the table where he had been sitting, a small crowd floating around there. He was starting to feel tingly inside, and oddly the Vodka and cranberry was getting easier to swallow... it still tasted vile though. He only continued to drink it to impress Rikuo. Ah, high school and it's peer pressures.

Kazahaya had just started on his second glass.

Rikuo smirked. "The back door," he unhooked one finger from the persperating glass to point toward the dining room.

"Oh... that was very sneaky," Kazahaya narrowed his eyes playfully, his body swaying as he leaned forward, drunkedness beginning to fall, unbeknowest to him.

Rikuo snickered, shaking his head and taking the last gulp in his glass, setting it on the counter and belching into his hand.

Kazahaya wrinkled his nose.

"Oh, by the way," Kazahaya started, straightening up and brushing hair out of his eyes. "Why did you not invite me to this party? Am I not _cool_ enough?"

Rikuo rolled his eyes. "No, you're not cool enough, but that's not why I didn't invite you."

A crash and a girly yell emminated from the living room. Both boys turned to see Fai walking in briskly, his hair disheveled and his eyes dancing. He put his hand up against a wall for support. Kazahaya raised an eyebrow.

"Um, we're about to play a game in the living room if you wanna join, Kazahaya," he had been looking at both of them, but Fai now stared at his friend.

"Oh, I don't think-"

"Rikuo should come too!" Fai suddenly grabbed Kazahaya by the arm, smiling at Rikuo as he pulled Kazahaya away, as if daring him to come because Kazahaya would be playing.

Rikuo sighed, pushing himself off the counter and following the boys.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Okay so, here's the rules..."

It was late, some of the guests had left, most of them had stayed to play this game... which was about to be introduced. Everyone sat in a circle (Fai and Kurogane sitting next to each other, while there was another person sitting inbetween Kazahaya and Rikuo) and a beer bottle lay sideways in the center.

Kazahaya had a horrifying suspision that the game would be truth or dare... or that kissing game.

"The game is called 'Smile'..." the female senior continued, also in the circle.

"... and basically, whoever is spinning the bottle has to make _who the bottle lands on_, smile, by any means necessary," she paused to grin. Kazahaya and Rikuo's eyes met.

"However," she spoke again. "If the person does smile, they're out of the game. And if the person who spun the bottle is unable crack a grin, he's out. There is a 5-minute time limit. The last person standing wins!" She finished.

"Oh," another girl spoke up. "And when you spin the bottle, you say the phrase, 'Baby if you love me, smile' to the person, that's when the time officially starts. Then the person will respond with, 'Baby I love you, but I just can't smile'."

Kazahaya nibbled on his lip. _Sure, okay, this might not be so bad_, he thought. But then he thought he saw the bottle moving on its own.

Fai was bouncing. He sat cross-legged, and his knee was lightly hitting Kurogane's, Kazahaya noticed. He narrowed his eyes at Fai, the wandering thought of _where_ the hell he had disapeared to in the past couple hours reamerging.

Kazahaya switched his gaze to Kurogane... his eye's weren't glazed over; no spell. Very interesting. Although he did try to half-heartedly shove Fai off with one arm, it was to no avail. And... was that the start of a smile on Kurogane's lips?

"Everyone ready?" The same girl who introduced the rules grinned, satisfied with the nods and sounds of approval, and began the game by spinning the bottle first.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The game had been going on for about 20 minutes or so. The circle, which started out large and spaced out, was becoming smaller and more condensed. The bottle had landed on him once, and Kazahaya had surprisingly been able to not crack a smile while a girl joked around and even violated his personal space by trying to tickle him.

A lot of the girls, Kazahaya noticed, had been very... randy toward any boy the bottle landed on. Kazahaya had seen more boob than he had ever wished for, and the sexual tension was becoming thick between many of the teenagers. Boy's were fighting down semi's and girls chewed on their nails, eyeing the men they hoped their spin would land on. It was horrifying, and Kazahaya wondered why he was becoming so affected by it all. His neck was sweating, even though it wasn't hot in the house, and his stomach was churning... but not in nausious way.

Now, Kazahaya took the last gulp of his Vodka, trying to eliminate the scene going on before him, using the bottom of his glass as a censor; Fai up in Kurogane's lap, stradling him. He was on his knees, so he wasn't sitting on him. Both of Fai's hands cupped Kurogane's face, just staring at him. This was all Fai did when his bottle landed on Kurogane, and it was all he had been doing for the past 4 minutes.

People around the circle mumbled quietly to themselves, eyes glued to the pair, the awkward silence growing as everyone slowly started to realize Kurogane's hand sneaking up Fai's thigh, holding onto it.

Kazahaya peeked at Rikuo, who had his head down, shaking it slowly back and forth.

Kurogane must've been drunk... wasted. Kazahaya noticed for the first time the small pile of beer bottles around the couple.

Then it happened; Kurogane grinned. It was lazy, stupid, and predator-like, all at the same time.

No one called Fai as the winner, and no one told Kurogane he was officially out of the game. But Fai whispered something.

"You lose," he said, moving his hands up and through Kurogane's hair.

Kurogane hummed. Someone caughed. The staring ceased. Fai got out of Kurogane's lap... kind of, and picked up the bottle, looking around at the faces in the circle with a smug attitude.

A rule had been explained after the game had begun. If the person the bottle landed on didn't smile, he or she was able to take the bottle and spin it. However, if they lost, instead of the victor spinning the bottle again, he or she could choose who got to spin it next.

And guess who Fai chose?

He pointed the tip of the bottle at Kazahaya.

What a great friend.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kazahaya licked his lips as he spun the bottle, tasting the bitter sensation of his Vodka and cranberry juice. He didn't understand why this game would be fun in any way... all it managed to do was make people feel awkward around each other... and himself, for some reason.

The bottle started slowing down. Kazahaya glanced up at the faces around him; a scarily uneven toss-up between boys and girls; boys being the dominant number. His eyes darted quickly to Rikuo, sitting close by. Kazahaya blinked as he focused now on the bottle, watching it turn and becoming rather dizzy himself. Shit, it was probably the nasty Vodka. He really hoped he wouldn't throw up on whoever the glass bottle landed on.

The bottle stopped. Everyone's heads turned simultaneously at the next victim: Rikuo.

Kazahaya almost threw up in his mouth.

Fai started giggling maniacally, clinging to one of Kurogane's arms and shaking his bent knees back and forth. He and Kurogane were now one entity, so to speak. Even though the latter had been eliminated, he never left the circle. So if the bottle landed on him, it just meant Fai was tagged.

Kazahaya had his eyes trained on the bottle's opening, trailing his eyes upward to meet Rikuo's just as he looked away from the bottle too.

They stared at each other for a while, Kazahaya becoming increasing scared by the look in Rikuo's eyes; a look that said, "Don't you fuckin' dare crawl into my lap."

Someone nudged Kazahaya forward. He regretfully got on his hands and knees and crept up to Rikuo, who was sitting cross-legged. The two bodies next to him moved out of the way to give the boys some space.

Kazahaya sat in front of Rikuo. _This won't be so bad_, Kazahaya thought. _He obviously doesn't want me __here, so I'm sure he'll smile before the game even starts_.

A senior pointed out that Kazahaya had five minutes, and to start.

Kazahaya sucked in a breath of air and quickly spat out the phrase:

"Baby, if you love me, smile."

Rikuo hummed. Kazahaya's eyes bugged out a bit.

"Babe I love you, but I just can't smile," Rikuo replied with a straight face.

Kazahaya panicked; now what?

"R-really?" Kazahaya whispered, more like demanded, leaning up onto his knees, tentatively bringing his hands out, touching Rikuo's ribs with his fingers, remembering other tickling acts that had worked.

_Oh, God... please don't let me throw up._

Kazahaya studied Rikuo's face carefully, unnerved by the tense silence in the room, well aware of the audience they held. He pressed his fingers to Rikuo's ribs, dragging them up and down. Surprised that the digits weren't shaking. The Vodka probably had a calming effect on him... but he still didn't have the nerve to make funny faces as a means to make Rikuo smile.

"Don't," Rikuo whispered as Kazahaya wiggled his finger on a certain rib. The blonde stared at Rikuo questionably. Don't what? Was he about to laugh? Did Rikuo want him to continue? Kazahaya looked away from Rikuo's face at that one. Impossible... but oh, how he could dream.

Kazahaya took a peek from under his lashes at Fai, who met his eyes. He was almost halfway in Kurogane's lap now, although the bigger boy didn't seem to mind. Fai grinned and drew his tongue out and licked the air. Kazahaya swallowed and quickly looked back to Rikuo's chest. Shit, he really needed to focus. He shook his head, clearing it, he sat up all the way to come nose-to-nose with Rikuo, unblinking.

Rikuo flinched back a bit. Kazahaya opened his mouth as if to apologize but cut himself off, bringing his hands up to Rikuo's shoulders, draping his fingertips down his chest and onto his stomach. Kazahaya watched his fingers go down before looking back up at Rikuo, giving him his best mischievous grin, letting his eyes dance.

Was it the alcohol? Kazahaya wasn't sure... he had never tried the stuff before this... but he was starting to feel... floaty? His eyelids were getting heavy, blood was rushing and his heart was beating differently. His fingers played with the hem of Rikuo's shirt.

Rikuo's fingers twitched on the carpeted floor. "What are you doing?" he spoke quietly, a look of genuine surprise over his face. He was nervous... but not scared, more like anticipation, curiosity, Kazahaya could feel it, he was sure.

Kazahaya lifted the hem of Rikuo's shirt, pressing the pads of his fingers to his stomach. The skin he felt there made Kazahaya shiver, spreading his hand out so his palm was flat against it. Rikuo brought his lips inward so they didn't pucker; a thin line, watching Kazahaya carefully.

He brought his lips to Rikuo's ear, speaking hotly.

"If you want me to stop, just smile," Kazahaya paused, waiting for a response, then nipped at Rikuo's ear lobe. Rikuo turned his head slightly, making a small noise. Kazahaya raised an eyebrow, taking note of the neck now displayed before him.

Leaning down, Kazahaya pressed his mouth to the tan skin, kissing it. The light smack resonated in the dramatically quiet room. Rikuo remained motionless, Kazahaya noticed. Not satisfied at all, he then licked the broad neck, from the base to the top of Rikuo's ear. Kazahaya felt Rikuo go completely stiff and then…

"Fucking hell!" Rikuo finally shouted, shoving Kazahaya off him and scooting backwards on his hands like he just got burnt.

Kazahaya blinked. He caught himself on his elbows and watched, perplexed, as Rikuo rubbed his neck where he had been.

Rikuo kept his mouth open, as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out. Kazahaya seemed to snap out of whatever haze he was in and looked around him. Half of the students in the room were staring at Rikuo and the other half was watching Kazahaya.

After what felt like an hour, someone coughed.

"Uh, you still have a few minutes…"

"I admit defeat," Kazahaya's tongue stumbled out, quickly jumping to his feet, head down in shame, and clumsily maneuvering out the front door, slamming it behind him, not bothering to check if Rikou was watching him or not.


	11. Secrets

Heeey guiiiz *dodges flying sharp objects*

This mostly took so long to get out because I've realized things aren't going very smoothly. Maybe it's the jumps in updates (like, a chapter every 7 months :P), but I'm really not digging the flow the story has taken. In fact, I'm down right ashamed at myself, but no one is perfect.

While I was writing this, I had something completely different in mind for this chapter, and what you're gonna see happen was supposed to occur later. But things just take oven when I write without an actual outline set :P

So... I wont bombard you guys with excuses, I'll just say I'm sorry (again). From now on I'm making my chapters longer, I'm hoping it will help my story flow more easily, instead of one event happening each chapter.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_My life is over. This is it. Any friendship I had with Rikuo is gone. He hates me. Fuck!_

This was Kazahaya's thought process as he woke up the following Monday morning, showering, getting dressed, and walking down the hall to the mess hall.

Kazahaya couldn't really blame the alcohol for what he had done... it's not like he was drunk... just tipsy. He certainly remembered everything. The entire weekend was spent wondering what everyone thought of him now... what Rikuo did after wards, and ignoring Fai knocking on his door.

As Kazahaya walked down the halls now, no one gave him dirty looks, no one was whispering amongst each other, everything was the same... the same boring Monday morning. Kazahaya tried to appear normal, trying to not clutch his backpack for dear life and not breathe out of his mouth, something he did when he was nervous.

He was scared to even leave his room, wondering if maybe Rikuo would be waiting on the other side of his door... Kazahaya wouldn't put it past him to do something like that.

But so far, he had been safe, and he was hungry.

Kazahaya turned a corner to enter the cafeteria, only to turn around and head back down the hallway when he spotted Rikuo sitting alone at a table.

_He's waiting for me!_ Kazahaya thought, knowing that Rikuo never stayed in the cafeteria on the rare occasions when he actually ate the school's food.

_Shit, I'm doomed. Why did I ever think I could avoid him... we're in a _boarding school_! In the middle of the woods!_

As he continued to briskly walk back in the direction of the dormitories- he could be sick today- Kazahaya had to comically come to a screeching halt when he almost ran over Fai.

"Kazahaya!" Fai spread his arms out wide like he was going in for a hug, but didn't actually move forward.

Kazahaya grumbled, pushing past Fai and continuing to walk, but at a normal pace.

"What's wrong?" Fai skipped up beside his friend.

"This is all your fault. I don't know how, but somehow it's all your fault."

"What did I do now?" Fai almost laughed. He wore no bag, but carried all his books in his arms, which were currently behind his back in a childish way.

"Friday! What happened on Friday night? I'm freaking out!" Kazahaya stopped to face Fai.

Fai's smile turned into a sly grin. "Oh, Friday..." he drew out the word like it was a known secret. "Which part? The part where I managed to get Kurogane drunk on only three bottles of beer," he stuck up three long, bony fingers. "Or when I made out with Kurogane on his bed- oh yes- or when you violated Rikuo's neck with your sexy tongue?"

Kazahaya's jaw dropped.

"That was sooo awkward!" Fai giggled. "But really hot, too."

"Fai! What the hell!" Kazahaya screeched.

Fai shrugged. "This is 21st century high school. Kids are exploring their sexuality, and it seems Kurogane had known his all along." He smirked. "Rikuo didn't seem to mind all that much either with you, huh?"

"Oh my God," Kazahaya smacked his hand over his eyes, hanging his head down.

"Don't worry, everyone is convinced that you and Rikuo were drunk. And it couldn't be helped since there was only like three girls left in the circle. Even so, no one wants to talk about it, which is a real shame; I'm quite proud of myself."

Kazahaya sighed, bringing his head back up and letting his hand fall from his face. "What happened after I left?"

"Well, we stopped playing the game. Rikuo, after sitting in that same spot for like, 10 minutes, finally got up, took the rest of that Vodka and a beer, and locked himself in his room. That's around the time I decided to let Kurogane pass out on the floor and come see if you were okay."

Kazahaya sighed, watching a couple people pass them out of the corner of his eye. "Ugh... I feel so ashamed," he ran a hand through his hair.

"Don't be, you just got caught up in the moment, it happens..." Fai patted Kazahaya's shoulder. "Have you spoken to Rikuo yet?"

"No, and I plan on ignoring him for the rest of my life."

Fai made a sarcastic face. "You know you can't do that. You gotta stop running away from your problems, Kazahaya."

"I don't think I can..." Kazahaya crossed his arms, looking away from Fai.

The resonating sounds from the mess hall grew as the hallway they stood in became more empty.

Fai suddenly took Kazahaya's face in his hands and messily pressed his lips against Kazahaya's in an unceremonious kiss.

Kazahaya pushed his friend away, sputtering. "Fai!"

"Snap out of it!" Fai commanded.

"Fine! Just don't kiss me, dude..." Kazahaya wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his shirt.

"Do you know where Rikuo is?"

"Yeah, he's in the cafeteria," Kazahaya's eyes bugged open when he realized Fai's trick.

"No, no!-" Kazahaya tried to grab hold of Fai's arm as he dashed away toward the cafe doors, but it was too late.

Kazahaya chased after him, wondering if it would be a better idea to just run in the opposite direction.

But again, it was too late for that. Fai ran inside just as Rikuo was walking out. Their eyes met instantly as Kazahaya came to a sudden stop, inches from him.

Rikuo took a step back.

"I want to talk to you," he spoke lowly and without hesitation.

_Shit, shit, shit... _

Kazahaya swallowed hard, standing up straight and trying to collect his thoughts.

"About what?"

"You know what," Rikuo sounded irritated, he stuffed his hands in his pants pockets.

"Um... I was drunk, I don't remember anything," Kazahaya quickly lied, keeping eye contact with Rikuo anyway.

Rikuo raised one eyebrow, studying Kazahaya.

Kazahaya tried not to wring his hands out or bite his bottom lip, or breathe through his mouth... Shit, he really wanted time to work on what he wanted to say to Rikuo. _Stupid Fai!_

"You don't remember anything?"

Kazahaya shook his head, breaking eye contact with Rikuo; it was so hard to stay focused while looking into his menacing eyes.

Standing in the door way to the cafeteria was becoming a bother. Students were walking in and out, making both boys feel awkward.

Rikuo half turned. "Follow me,"

Kazahaya tried to find his eyes again. "Why?"

"I want to talk in private."

"I have class."

"We have 10 minutes."

"I... it can't wait? I told you I can't remember anything anyway," Kazahaya felt like yelling, but he spoke quietly.

Rikuo frowned, bending down so he could whisper into Kazahaya's ear.

"Not even when you licked my neck?"

Kazahaya blushed. He couldn't help it, even in this situation. Rikuo's voice was just so husky, more so than usual, and the words coming out of his mouth sounded so sexy, even though it wasn't meant to be.

Rikuo moved his face away minutely, watching Kazahaya's cheeks color.

"You know I don't believe you for a second."

Kazahaya bit his lip.

Rikuo took Kazahaya's wrist and led him out of the cafeteria. Kazahaya followed clumsily, watching the tiles on the floor.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Rikuo and Kazahaya sat on the grassy lawn outside the school gates. Kazahaya pulled a sweater out of his bag to block the chilly early morning breeze. Rikuo already had a hoodie on. The same green one he wore at the party.

"So," Rikuo spoke up before the silence between them became awkward. "Explain yourself."

"Explain what?" Kazahaya had time to calm himself down, present his case in a more believable manner.

"What you were thinking when you... did all that stuff to me," Rikuo made strange hand movements toward his stomach and neck. Kazahaya would've found it silly if he weren't trying to protect his sexuality right now.

"I told you, I don't know what you're talking about," he peeked up at Rikuo, who's brows furled downward. Kazahaya spoke up again, trying to have an edge to his voice. "Why can't you just drop it? I can't remember it anyway-"

"I would've dropped it if you weren't so blatantly lying to me!" Rikuo accused, leaning forward a bit.

"I'm not lying!"

Rikuo shook his head. "And your persistence is making me angry."

Kazahaya brought his lips in, glaring at Rikuo.

"I know when someone is lying to me..." Rikuo trailed off.

"And it bothers me how insistent you are. Don't friends talk things out?" Rikuo spoke a little more quietly, as if he was unsure if they could really classify themselves as being friends.

Kazahaya licked his lips. He heard the late bell ring. Neither of them moved.

"I just..." He remembered Fai's words. "Got caught up in the moment, I guess..." he rubbed his neck.

"What moment?"

Kazahaya smiled sheepishly. "I can give you two excuses, one that makes no sense, but is true anyway and the other..." Kazahaya picked some grass, his heart beating erraticly against his rib cage.

Rikuo waited, but Kazahaya didn't finish. He sighed.

"What's the first excuse?"

Kazahaya continued picking grass.

"I honestly do get 'caught up' in situations like that. I don't know why... it kinda relates back to my dizzy spells, I think," Kazahaya ceased his movements, having an epiphany.

"I also get really emotional, usually for no reason at all. I'm not a violent person, but when I'm around you and we're arguing, I suddenly get really irritated and want to punch you in the face, while if I'm arguing, say with Fai, nothing gets accomplished cos he's always hyper and not serious.

"I always bounce back though... but I've just realized that... my personality changes to fit the situation I'm in, or the people I'm around," he looked up at Rikuo.

"You've calmed down now. I can tell, because I feel much better," Kazahaya smiled ruefully.

Rikuo's mouth opened slightly, but he closed it.

"The party was no different. Everything was getting really tense, obviously, and the damn alcohol didn't help at all. It intermingled with my weird mood swings, pushing up a hidden desire I've been trying to keep secret."

Kazahaya fell silent again, his heart beat kicking back up.

"What's that?" Rikuo asked calmly.

"... I'm gay," Kazahaya felt numb the moment he said it. He kept his eyes on the ground so he couldn't see Rikuo's face.

"You're the second person I've told that too," Kazahaya's mouth went dry, the nerves kicking back up like they never left. He wanted to say more, but didn't trust his voice, he could feel his body shaking.

After an agonizingly long silence, Rikuo spoke up.

"Who was the first person you told?"

"Fai," Kazahaya said softly. It was hard to speak.

Another silence fell around them. Kazahaya wanted to say things like, _please don't let this change anything between us. Please don't shun me. I told you because friends tell each other secrets..._But his lips felt glued shut.

"Look at me," Rikuo finally said. Kazahaya lifted his lashes slightly. Rikuo didn't look disgusted, or mad, he looked... normal.

"I don't care about your preferences... wait, that sounded bad," Rikuo grimaced at himself, looking down, and then speaking again.

"I've always believed you love who you love. I'm not against homosexuality, or curiosity, or anything like that," Rikuo waved his hand slightly, meeting Kazahaya's eyes again.

"It's hard for me to express my feelings, but I'm actually really flattered that I'm the second person you've told this to," he smiled a bit. Kazahaya's thudding heart stopped, feeling a blush creeping up his neck.

"I'm glad you can trust me with that kind of information. And, I guess I can understand your actions the other night, ah, a lot better now... I am quite a catch, right?" Rikuo managed to grin devilishly.

Kazahaya laughed, genuinely, but with a hint of nervousness that he felt leaving.

"You're not mad?"

"No, not anymore. I was just really confused, mostly. I've never had another guy touch me that way before," Rikuo picked a dandelion that was between them, not looking at Kazahaya.

Kazahaya blushed. He wanted to ask why Rikuo took so long to finally shove Kazahaya off, but didn't want to ruin this nice moment between them.

"You make it sound so dirty..." Kazahaya tried to joke.

"It can't be helped," he smirked, meeting Kazahaya's gaze again. "That you're a pervert." Rikuo finished, teasing.

"I'm not a pervert," Kazahaya insisted a little too strongly, shaking his head.

"Uh huh, keep telling yourself that," Rikuo's sharp green eyes narrowed playfully.

Kazahaya had the sudden combined urge to punch Rikuo in the face and lunge forward and kiss him.

He went with the prior, swinging his arm, his hand in a fist. Rikuo easily dodged it though, still grinning.

"So, what class did I make you miss?" Rikuo spoke up, the awkwardness between them gone.

Kazahaya groaned. "AP English."

"You can still make it if you want. You'll just be..." Rikuo checked his watch. "Ten minutes late."

Kazahaya rolled his eyes. "No point in that," he sighed. "Oh well."

Rikuo shrugged. "It's alright, as long as you don't miss more than 12 days, or something like that."

"I haven't missed a day yet."

Rikuo snickered. "This year? Well, I guess it's not that impressive, it's still considered the beginning of Fall..."

Kazahaya shook his head. "I haven't missed a day of classes since I started going here."

Rikuo's eyes bugged open. "Seriously?"

Kazahaya blushed, feeling embarrassed. He nodded his head.

"Wow," Rikuo scoffed. "Over-achiever."

Kazahaya managed to keep his anger down and instead reply with another insult.

"Slacker."

"Suck up."

"Lazy." Kazahaya thought of Rikuo's messy house.

"Spaz." Rikuo leered.

Kazahaya raised an eyebrow, in an "I'm not impressed" fashion.

"Incompetent bastard."

A flash of confusion covered Rikuo's eyes, but he remained silent. Kazahaya smirked.

"Going to classes pays off," Kazahaya said knowingly, keeping his smirk on as he stood, picking up his backpack.

Rikuo stood up too. "Hey," he slung his bag over his shoulder as Kazahaya did the same.

"You haven't had breakfast yet, right?"

On cue, Kazahaya's stomach emitted an embarrassingly low growl. Kazahaya laid his hand over it, smiling sheepishly.

Rikuo inclined his head. "Let me make you something. In return for ruining your perfect attendance."

"Oh, no. I really should stay and get ready for my next class..." Although going to Rikuo's place again was tempting, Kazahaya could always go back to the cafeteria and eat, and not ruin the chance of being late for public speaking.

Rikuo stepped closer, leaning forward slightly to get Kazahaya's attention. Said boy flinched back just a bit, fighting down his look of surprise.

"Take a sick day."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The next several weeks consisted of everyday normalcy, which Kazahaya was just fine with, even though he felt more frustrated than ever before.

Although the confession went well and that somehow solidified an unknown male bond between Kazahaya and Rikuo, causing the two to become closer than average friends, it only spelled out one thing for Kazahaya.

"I'm in the 'friend-zone!'"

It was another morning in the cafeteria with Fai. Kazahaya attempting to eat suspicious looking waffles and Fai going on a muffin binge.

Things had been quieter than usual. The boys sat across from each other, silently chewing their food, well, Fai not so silent, but thoughts obviously over-taking the friend's minds. Kazahaya had broken the silence so suddenly, that Fai actually jumped, dropping his blueberry muffin on the table, crumbs went everywhere.

Fai took an exaggeratedly long look at his crumpled muffin before addressing his best friend.

"What's wrong now?"

"Rikuo and I... we're friends now... but he's not into me. I just know it," Kazahaya hopelessly rambled, stirring the syrup around his plate with a fork.

Fai rolled his eyes, picking his muffin up and plopping it onto his tray.

"Stop being so negative, Kazahaya. Things take time, just go with the flow. And if Rikuo is straight, so what? At least you two have gotten really close, right?"

Kazahaya frowned childishly.

"Nothing wrong with friendship," Fai concluded, sticking his tongue out.

"God, but he's _so_ hot!" Kazahaya uncharacteristically groaned, burying his head in his arms. Fai snickered. Kazahaya brought his head back up, supporting it while his elbows remained on the table.

"You know I've seen him shirtless already?" Kazahaya spoke quietly, a hint of excitement in his voice. Fai giggled, glad to see Kazahaya's mood change.

"Really?" Fai didn't want to admit that he'd seen him shirtless plenty of times, thanks to the shared gym class.

Kazahaya nodded, his cheeks coloring a bit at the memory. "I came over unexpected once, and he answered the door without a shirt on. _God_, it was heavenly."

"You are having such a _queer_ moment right now," Fai mimicked Kazahaya's tone, shaking his head in amusement.

"Everyone needs to, every once in a while," Kazahaya took a sip of his milk.

"Hey, so, anyway, what are you planning for Thanksgiving break?" Fai asked suddenly, changing the topic.

"Uh, I don't know. I think I'll just stay here, if you don't mind." Kazahaya shrugged. Usually during the holidays, Thanksgiving included, he would go home with Fai. Kazahaya hadn't seen his parent's since they sent him to this school, and he hoped he'd never see them again. But right now he was feeling introverted and just wanted the 5 day break alone, in solitude. Maybe go hiking or early Christmas shopping...

"Oh, good," Fai piped up. "Cos I'm gonna ask Kurogane to come home with me."

Kazahaya blinked. "Really? Isn't that kind of... a couple thing to do? Introducing him to your family...?"

Fai leaned forward dramatically. "Isn't it?" He winked and leaned back in his chair. "He's becoming such a cutie; I can tell he likes me." He picked up his muffin wrappers and everything else and made an organized mess on his tray.

"Anyway, I wanna get to gym early today," Fai spoke up again before Kazahaya could find something to say. "Today is soccer and I like to stretch hardcore before enduring the ridiculousness of the jocks in my class."

Kazahaya paused in his thought process. That's right, soccer season was coming up, Rikuo and the rest of the varsity soccer players would be practicing for games. It made him realize that he'd never asked Rikuo about his hobby.

Kazahaya took his time finishing breakfast alone. A few minutes to class, as he was walking down the hall, he heard his name being called from behind. He turned around, did a double take, and then wondered if anyone else in this school was named "Kazahaya."

Kurogane came jogging up to him. Kazahaya took a few steps back on instinct. Even though he was good friends with Fai, and best friends with Rikuo, Kazahaya still didn't trust Kurogane all too well. And it was... surprising, to say the least, to see Kurogane coming up to him, calling his name, by himself.

Kazahaya instantly became suspicious.

"Hey, um..." Kurogane looked as awkward as Kazahaya felt.

"You're pretty close with Fai, right?"

_Really? _

"Yeah, pretty close..." Kazahaya answered carefully.

"Ah, what could you tell me about him?" Kurogane spoke quickly, as if he wasn't sure what to ask or how to ask.

"... What do you want to know?" Kazahaya wondered what time it was.

"Just... how is he doing? Like, with his family, and stuff."

Kazahaya's brow twitched. "I think that's something you should ask yourself," Kazahaya spoke seriously.

"Oh..." Kurogane looked embarrassed.

Silence filled the area, even students were becoming scarce.

Kazahaya turned halfway. "I gotta get to class," and he walked away before Kurogane had anything else to say.


	12. You know you want it

Another Kuro/Fai centered chapter. Enjoy!

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Kurogane prided himself in a lot of things– managing to get just passing grades each year, being a strong fighter, and the ability to hold his liquor very well.

He was beyond flabbergasted as to _how_ he managed to get so drunk last Friday that he forgot everything... and woke up with a killer hangover. Kurogane had never experienced a hangover before.

Kurogane was confused even more when his damn unreliable roommate couldn't even give him all the details of that night.

"Cos you were too busy giving all your attention to Fai's freaky little friend," Kurogane had spat at Rikuo, a pillow over his face as he laid on the couch, nursing said hangover, while Rikuo, seated on a plush chair, watched TV with the volume down to almost nothing the following Saturday.

"Let me ask you something," Rikuo's voice sounded irritated. Kurogane grunted.

"How exactly do you feel about Flourite?"

Kurogane lifted the pillow just enough to glare at Rikuo. "What the hell do you mean?"

"You know what I mean," Rikuo's eyes closed in exasperation.

Kurogane stared at Rikuo a moment longer, stuffing his face back under the pillow when his eyes could no longer take the sunlight streaming in through the windows.

"He's annoying as fuck. I can't stand him. He hardly seems to care for himself, and he acts like he knows everything. Fucking annoying blonde shit."

Rikuo had to snicker at that. It was quiet, but Kurogane still heard it.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" He took his pillow off again to yell that.

"Oh, nothing," _You guys are always just attached at the hip, that's all.___Rikuo thought to himself.

Kurogane huffed in annoyance.

"I could tell you something that happened last night, but you probably wouldn't believe me," Rikuo trailed off, staring at the TV.

Kurogane's eyes narrowed, Rikuo peeked over at his hung-over roommate, his expression uncaring.

"What?"

Ever since Rikuo and Kurogane decided to share a house on the eve of their senior year, an unspoken dominance tug-of-war had begun. Usually the pair would get along. They had mutual understandings, never asked stupid questions, and kept general conversation down to a minimum, unless they were playing co-op in Halo.

The two friends were happy this way, in silence. But if bickering did evolve, it almost never ended. One of them had to have the last word in, or one of them had to be a victor. Chores went undone, assuming the person who did take out the garbage, who cleaned the dishes, or who swept the living room floor, was announced the sissy, not the alpha male.

It was childish, it was stubborn. Both Rikuo and Kurogane knew this, but didn't care. It was more or less how the boys bonded. If they weren't discussing their shared hatred of leeks or certain blonde classmates, they were fighting in a mental power struggle.

That's why Rikuo decided not to disclose any more information. Switching off the TV, grabbing his jacket, and heading for the front door.

Kurogane, although genuinely pissed off, understood that he was the loser in this situation. He growled.

"Why don't you ask Flourite yourself?" Rikuo said, pulling an arm through the sleeve of his jacket.

"You're a fucking pain in my ass, you know that?" Kurogane snarled, once again throwing the pillow over his head. "If you're going out, bring me back some coffee," he added on, the pillow making his voice muffled.

Rikuo didn't answer. But he did bring Kurogane his coffee later that day.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kurogane grumbled to himself all through the following Monday morning. What did Rikuo know that he didn't? Usually it was easy for him to forget things like that... it didn't bother Kurogane when someone withheld information from him, whatever. But...

What did happen that night? Kurogane's memory was fuzzy.

"_Hey, Kuro-poo!" Fai jumped up in front of Kuogane, who jumped back in surprise, then growled in frustration at himself for being startled._

"_Don't make me regret inviting you, bean pole," Kurogane spat. Fai smiled._

"_Where's your costume?" Fai tilted his wizard's hat to sit atop his head more comfortably._

"_Just cos I host a costume party, doesn't mean I need to participate."_

_Fai pursed his lips, his blue eyes sparkling in confusion. Kurogane raised a speculative eyebrow._

"_That makes no sense," Fai finally declared after a silence._

_Kurogane waved his hand. "I'm gonna get a beer," he pushed past Fai, who snagged him by the shirt._

"_What-?" _

"_Here," Fai held up three bottles in between his fingers in front of Kurogane's face, keeping a light grip on his shirt._

_Kurogane glared, wondering how he didn't notice Fai holding the bottles before, surely he would have heard them clink together... like they were doing now as Fai gently waved them back and forth._

"_We can share," Fai winked, letting go of Kurogane and lowering his handful of beer. He turned and headed toward Kurogane's room._

That was the last solid thing Kurogane could remember from that night... he remembered arguing in his room with Fai, about how slow of a drinker Fai was, how he kept on pouring his beer into Kurogane's bottle, and other random shit. He wasn't as pissed off as he appeared toward Fai, about being alone and missing the party. Truthfully, he only hosted the Halloween party because the soccer jocks always did, it was just a thing. He liked the lassitude, the quiet, and just sharing beer with Fai wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be.

Kurogane was just pissed off that all he had in his mind from Friday was _Fai_. He vaguely remember being in a circle with other people, with Fai sitting very close. And then waking up at noon Saturday trying to hold down vomit.

It didn't make sense that he woke up sick... he didn't even remember drinking that much. Which was why he needed to go see Fai.

Strangely it wasn't until the end of the school day when Kurogane ran into Fai, he was walking out of the front doors when he spotted Fai sitting on a step, organizing his papers in his folders and books. Kurogane sauntered down the steps, ignoring the conversations occurring around him, and stood behind Fai, watching.

_What a mess..._ Kurogane thought as he observed Fai collecting his pencils into a little crayon box. Fai must've just dropped his things and was picking them back up. He sighed.

"Have you ever heard of a backpack?" Kurogane shifted his messenger bag further up his shoulder as he spoke.

"Oh, that angry voice sounds like a Kuro-pin!" Fai sang, not moving from his seated position.

"Who's Kuro-pin?!" Kurogane growled. Fai sniggered.

Kurogane thought about helping Fai collect the rest of his stuff, but he wasn't sure what he would do with it, so he just stood there, and waited until Fai had "organized" his stuff in a pile and stood, turning to face Kurogane.

"What are you doing, watching me?" Fai asked slyly, hugging his school supplies and books to his chest.

"As if!" Kurogane huffed. "I wanted to talk with you. Can I walk you home?"

"Oooh, walking me home, huh? How sweet," Fai smiled hugely as Kurogane fumed unnecessarily. He turned and began walking down the steps, Kurogane followed behind, noticing how he didn't hear Fai's footsteps at all, but he was practically bouncing down the stairs.

Kurogane waited until the were on the dirt path toward the campus housings to bring up Friday.

"Spill. What happened Friday night?" Kurogane asked seriously, after a long, comfortable silence between them.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Fai answered simply, easily keeping pace with Kurogane's long legs.

Kurogane snarled, remembering Rikuo saying the same thing Saturday morning.

"If this is some kind of joke-!"

"Chill out, Kurogane," Fai spoke calmly, with an edge of playfulness. Kurogane did pause, in surprise of Fai addressing him correctly.

"I don't like being left in the dark..." Kurogane muttered, keeping an eye on Fai as they walked.

"Well, if you really wanna know..." Fai swung his arms playfully.

"Yes, I really want to know," Kurogane closed his eyes in exasperation.

"Are you suuure?" Fai sang, playing it up.

"Argh! Yes, I'm sure! Now cough it up, you scrawny little shit!" Kurogane blew up, stopping to shake his fist at Fai.

"Not with that attitude I wont," Fai responded with a smile, enjoying watching the fire spark in Kurogane's eyes.

"Fai..." Kurogane spoke lowly, glaring. Fai dramatically swung one leg out to start walking again.

"Come on, we're almost there, I'll tell you then."

Kurogane groaned in irritation, stomping behind Fai, no longer walking along side him.

Once they eventually made it to Fai's front door, Kurogane spoke up once more.

"Alright blondie, I've waited long enough, now tell me what happened that night."

Fai drummed his fingers along the books in his arms.

"First, you must promise not to hit me."

Kurogane stared.

"What?"

"Promise me!" Fai whined. Kurogane groaned.

"Fine, whatever. I promise- what?"

Fai had pulled one arm out and stuck out his pinky.

"Pinky promise!" Fai grinned, wiggling his pinky.

"Ugh, you are such a fucking kid," Kurogane linked his pinky with Fai's anyway.

Fai gripped hard onto Kurogane's pinky, pulling their intertwined fingers down.

"You kissed me," Fai stepped dangerously close to Kurogane, who's eyes grew large.

Fai grinned at Kurogane's slow reaction.

"Right..." Fai pulled their linked pinkies back up, and touched his lips with his index finger. "... here."

"... You're lying," Kurogane frowned. He knew Fai enjoyed getting under his skin, playing around, this had to be a joke. Why would he kiss a... freak like Fai, even drunk. Kurogane knew that when he drinks, he's much more friendly and expressive, but that's why he stopped consuming alcohol in large amounts; he knew his limits. Although, he did have to admit, Fai was cute, for a guy. Could he have possibly...

"I kid you not," Fai winked.

Kurogane glared, unsure how to respond. He tried to pull his hand free from Fai's grasp.

"Aren't you disgusted?" Fai's smile grew, keeping a surprisingly tight grip on Kurogane's pinky.

"Let me go," Kurogane took a step back, but was pulled forward once more by his pinky.

Fai ignored Kurogane, maneuvering his fingers so he gripped Kurogane's whole hand. Kurogane swallowed.

"Enough!" Kurogane attempted to yank his hand free, but Fai continued to keep a firm grip. "Seriously, cut it out, someone might be looking."

Fai's smile almost broke off his face it grew so wide.

"Is that all you're worried about?"

And with that Fai dropped his possessions to the ground, using his free hand to grab the back of Kurogane's head and smash their lips together.

Fai kept his eyes open, and so saw the look of surprise form into anger on Kurogane's face.

"Mm!" Kurogane shoved Fai off him with his only free hand. Fai let him, barely inches away from his face.

There was a light panting in Kurogane's words as he spoke.

"What... the _fuck_?" He demanded, trying harder to free his hand from Fai's grasp.

"Come on, you know you want it," Fai spoke devilishly, sticking his tongue out to lick Kurogane's lips.

Fai blinked in surprise when Kurogane shoved him against the door, anger flaring up in his eyes.

"I could kill you," Kurogane spoke menacingly.

Fai smiled kindly. "But you wont, how would you hide the body anyway?"

"Ugh," Kurogane rolled his eyes, taking his weight off of Fai and finally able to rip his hand out of Fai's. He turned without another word and stomped away.

"See you tomorrow, Kuro-kissy!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Rikuo!" Kurogane slammed the door to their home shut as he stormed in, right after the... incident with Fai.

"What?" Rikuo was on the couch, an Xbox controller in his hands.

"You son of a bitch," he stood in front of the TV. Rikuo tilted his head to see the screen.

"On your period again?"

"Why the hell would you refuse to tell me that I kissed Fai?!"

Rikuo hit pause on the game, slowly meeting his house-mates eyes.

"Huh?"

"I was drunk and kissed Fai?" Kurogane spat. "That's ridiculous; you have no right to keep that information from me!"

"Whoa, hold on, you kissed Fai... _Flourite_?" Rikuo grinned, a look in his eyes that said: _I'm so going to use this as blackmail later._

"... Isn't that what you were going to tell me Saturday?" Kurogane felt heat creeping up his neck.

There was a slight chuckle in his voice when Rikuo spoke.

"No, I was gonna mention how plastered you were, letting Fai climb in your lap during this dumb floor game we played..." The evil smirk still hadn't left Rikuo's face.

Kurogane's jaw dropped.

"Hey," Rikuo set his controller down. "is there something you want to talk about?" He snickered.

Kurogane stumbled to the nearest chair, plopping down in it and hanging his head in his hand.

Rikuo took his controller back up, resuming his game.

"Get 'cha some, tiger."


	13. Flirting

Guys, it has been officially been 3 years since I uploaded this story... and with only 13 chapters to show... I'm not proud .

Hey, did you know that this story is rated M? For _Mature_. Oh, you didn't know? WELL THEN, time to let you in on a little secret...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_Panting, slow, low in pitch, a groan, a name uttered brokenly._

"Kaza... haya_."_

"_Huh?" Kazahaya lifted his head up, spit dribbling down the corner of his mouth._

_Their eyes met, Rikuo's narrowed._

"_What'dya stop for?" Rikuo breathed._

_Kazahaya blinked childishly. "I thought you wanted my attention..."_

_Rikuo almost laughed. "No," he put his hand on top of Kazahaya's head, pushing him back to suck on his cock._

_Kazahaya hummed in understanding, getting back to work, letting Rikuo guide him to his saliva coated member._

_Kazahaya once again gripped the base, the recently shaved skin there scratching along his pinky. Rikuo pushed his head down so Kazahaya took Rikuo in his mouth in one gulp, so to speak._

_A moan was heard above. Kazahaya lifted his lashes slightly and found Rikuo watching him. He lifted his head, giving his best mischievous grin before going at Rikuo's hard shaft like a lollipop, intentionally ignoring the head, teasing._

_Rikuo let his head fall back on the pillows, leaving his one hand atop Kazahaya's soft hair. Kazahaya closed his eyes, lowering his own head, trailing his tongue down, suckling patches of skin. He moved the hand griping the base up to the weeping tip, teasing the slit with light touches. The thick coating of saliva made everything slippery._

_Rikuo groaned again, then let out a breathy "Oh..." as Kazahaya took his testicles in his mouth, pumping his hand up and down Rikuo's shaft as well. As the balls rolled around in his mouth, Rikuo snapped his head up._

"_Shit... please do something... Kazahaya."_

_Feeling a surge of confidence, Kazahaya readily obeyed, using his free hand to continue pleasing Rikuo's sac, while he began tonguing the pink head, bobbing his head down the hard shaft and back up occasionally, just going down to his fingers which were once again curled around the hilt._

_Rikuo was big... above average. Kazahaya had to hold back the urge to gag just going down to his hand, which took up at least two inches of Rikuo's stunning cock. It made Kazahaya wonder what it would feel like... inside him. _

_The thought alone aroused him, making him moan, he exaggerated it a bit, letting the moan run deep so to cause vibrations through Rikuo's member. Kazahaya barely heard Rikuo's sound of pleasure._

_Kazahaya let his imagination run as he worked on Rikuo, letting lustful thoughts plague his mind. Thoughts of Rikuo thrusting inside him, hitting his prostate dead on, feeling Rikuo's hands grip his thin waist as he pushed himself deeper inside..._

_He let his free hand wander in between his legs, bent over, knees on the mattress. He let his hand feather over the small bulge in his boxers. Kazahaya moaned again, imagining Rikuo taking Kazahaya's throbbing cock and took hold of his own, squeezing hard while bobbing his head faster on Rikuo._

_Rikuo interrupted Kazahaya's ministrations by speaking a whole sentence._

"_Are you touching yourself?" He sounded amazed._

_Kazahaya took a long hard suck of Rikuo's cock before lifting his mouth off with a _pop_._

"_Yes..."_

_Rikuo surprised him by seizing Kazahaya's face and bringing him up for a rough kiss that was all tongue. Kazahaya almost fell over Rikuo with the force, having to remove his hands to brace himself on the bed._

_After minutes of that, Rikuo pulled back, they both exchanged labored breaths._

"_Bend over," Rikuo commanded quietly, smirking._

_Beep beeeep. Beep beeeep. Beep beeeep..._

Kazahaya's eyes shot open at the sound of the alarm going off on his watch. After going through the routine of fumbling around to shut it off, this time with a bit more aggravation, Kazahaya lay still.

"_Fuck_! It was just getting good too..." Kazahaya moaned into his pillow, grinding his pelvis into the mattress. The pressure was nice on his morning wood, although a bit uncomfortable. He flipped over so he was on his back.

Kazahaya had his fair share of dirty dreams with Rikuo, but that had been his first one of him giving Rikuo... a blow job.

Kazahaya blushed as he recalled images from the dream. Strange how... he had a desire now, for Rikuo, a _craving_. And strange how he suddenly wondered... how big he might be. How Rikuo might taste.

Kazahaya licked his lips, closing his eyes and letting his hands travel down his lithe body, under his boxer shorts, ready to finish the job, when he heard a knock on his door.

_Are you fucking kidding me?_

He contemplated ignoring the knock, but the surprise was enough to soften Kazahaya a bit.

The knock was repeated, this time with the sing song voice of Fai.

"Wakey wakey eggs and bakey!"

Kazahaya almost growled his response.

"Go away!"

"Oh! So you are awake! May I come in?"

"You may not," Kazahaya grumbled, although it was pointless now; his arousal had sufficiently shrunk. But it still didn't mean he couldn't be unhappy about it.

"Aw, why not?" Kazahaya heard Fai try the door knob and rolled his eyes.

"I'll meet you in the cafeteria," Kazahaya sat up, pulling his blankets up to cover his bare chest, ignoring Fai's question.

"Hrm..." Fai made a noise outside the door. "Fine, but don't you be late, pumpkin poo!"

Kazahaya stuck his tongue out like he tasted something sour. He needed to get out more, make new friends.

He rolled onto his side, sticking his arm under his mattress – taking note of the time, and pulling out his secret notebook, quickly scribbling down specific details of his dream while the images were still fresh.

Kazahaya sighed as he closed it once more, setting it on his night stand and sinking back into the blankets, closing his eyes.

"_Bend over."_

Kazahaya grinned slyly, impressed that his brain managed to capture and mimic Rikuo's voice perfectly.

_Knock, knock, knock._

"Ugh, Fai! Seriously, I'll be there in a minute!" Kazahaya whined, grabbing a pillow to throw at the door.

"It's me, ya goof," Rikuo's voice sounded amused behind the white door.

Kazahaya immediately sat up, blushing furiously. _Rikuo... seriously needs to stop coming over at the weirdest times_, Kazahaya thought.

"What do you want?" Kazahaya grumbled, loud enough for him to hear and attempting to get his burning cheeks back to a normal color.

There was a pause, and Rikuo laughed lightly.

"Your body?"

Kazahaya's heart stuttered before he mentally slapped himself and rolled his eyes, ripping the blankets off himself and stomping to the door, unlocking it, and swinging it open.

Kazahaya glared, one arm still holding onto the door and the other at his side. Rikuo stared back, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Nice underwear," Rikuo finally spoke.

Kazahaya couldn't hold down his sudden look of horror as he looked down, remembering that he was practically naked, clad in only his boxer shorts... a red and white polka-dot design with a cartoon kitty smack dab in the center, on top of that.

It was a gag gift Fai had gotten for Kazahaya when he finally came to terms with his sexuality. Kazahaya hated it. He was only wearing it cos he had been too lazy to do the laundry and this was his only clean pair of underwear for the moment. Where the hell did Fai find such cute shorts? It is still a mystery.

Kazahaya's cheeks once again flared crimson in humiliation.

"Shut up, it was a gift!" Kazahaya turned around, stomping to his dresser and trying desperately to find a pair of pants.

Rikuo snickered, taking his leaving the door open as an invite inside. He secretly checked out the room, closing the door behind him and leaning against the wall.

Kazahaya tried to hold down his complaints as he threw on jeans and moved to the small walk in closet to find a shirt to wear, avoiding eye contact with Rikuo. He wanted to question why Rikuo was here, but the only thing going through his mind was that damn dream.

"So, you thought I was Fai?" Kazahaya heard Rikuo ask through the walls of the closet.

"Yeah, he came by earlier," Kazahaya kept his attention on his clothes, feeling insecure. The initial surprise had left and now the presence of Rikuo in his room, the two of them alone together, was excruciatingly awkward, especially when Kazahaya's thoughts were impure. He yanked shirts off hangers, taking a look at them and hastily replaced them. Kazahaya needed to calm down before meeting Rikuo again.

Rikuo quietly paced the room, noticing how bare and absolutely plain looking it was.

"Going to breakfast in the cafeteria again?"

"Yeah, today's special is chocolate chip pancakes, Fai's favorite," Kazahaya finally threw a random shirt on, a navy blue shirt with a logo on it. He figured staying in the closet any longer would qualify him as being girly; putting too much effort into his outfit. Even though Kazahaya didn't have anything nice, per se, his wardrobe consisted primarily of tee-shirts and jeans. Boring.

Kazahaya turned to walk out of the closet and almost smacked his face into Rikuo's chest. He looked up, swallowing down the burn that began creeping up his neck. The closet suddenly seemed much smaller...

"What's your favorite?" Rikuo asked casually, his hands braced on either side of the entryway to the small closet.

"Favorite what?" Kazahaya spat, using anger to cover up his fluster.

Rikuo grinned. "Breakfast. What's you favorite?"

"Ugh, I don't know... cereal is fine," Kazahaya fidgeted, wondering why Rikuo was blocking the only way out.

"Cereal? That's no fun," Rikuo straightened up, moving his arms from the wall, but still standing in the doorway.

"I never said I was a fun guy," Kazahaya hastily replied, going to push past Rikuo, who side stepped him. Kazahaya frowned deeply, remembering the last time Rikuo stood in his path, which resulted in a fight.

Kazahaya crossed his arms, his embarrassment forgotten, and looked into Rikuo's eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"Teasing you," Rikuo spoke truthfully.

Kazahaya's heart stuttered, and he hated himself for it. "Why?"

Rikuo shrugged. "I'm not allowed to have fun?"

"Not at my expense, jerk."

Rikuo snickered at that, letting Kazahaya walk past him. Kazahaya marched comically to his bed, keeping his head high. _Yes, take that, Rikuo!_

"Why are you here, anyway?" Kazahaya asked, his eyes bugging out when he saw his notebook full of secret and naughty desires openly and publicly laying on his nightstand. He had totally forgotten about it, and Rikuo now knew what it looked like, he could have curiously picked it up. How careless he had been! He tried nonchalantly to pick it up and stuff it in his backpack that he had picked up from the floor, but his heart was pounding, and his nerves showed.

Rikuo noticed Kazahaya's fidgeting while shoving things into his bag, but decided against commenting on it.

He shrugged. "Had to come to school early for a soccer meeting, and thought I'd stop by, see if you were awake."

"Oh," _That makes sense_, Kazahaya thought. "So, gotta get ready for games?" He went back to his dresser for socks and dressed his feet, slipping his shoes on soon after wards. Where they went to school, in the south, snow was very rare, and temperatures never got below freezing, so it wasn't unusual for soccer season to begin at the end of fall. Their school teams, the Dragons, only played against other boarding schools. Kazahaya wasn't aware of that though, since he never did attend any matches, he wasn't into sports, even if his crush did play. Kazahaya figured he'd be pushed aside by the throng of fans or get into a jealous rage from the endless fangirls.

"Yep. I feel bad, I haven't been practicing as much as I should have, so I feel really out of shape," as he said this, Rikuo pulled his shoulders back, rolling them. Kazahaya chanced a look. If _that_ was out of shape for Rikuo, Kazahaya could only imagine what Rikuo must look like when he considered himself "in shape."

Rikuo caught Kazahaya staring, the latter flushed and stomped past Rikuo, making sure to nab his keys before reaching the door.

"Where you checking me out?" Rikuo sounded amused. Kazahaya spun around, face red.

"Hell no!" He turned back around, opening the door and almost slamming it on Rikuo's face, but remembered that it would be his room he would be leaving him in. It was pointless anyway, he had been caught. How embarrassing.

"A-anyway," Kazahaya tried speaking again to get Rikuo's mind off of what just happened. They were walking down the hall, Rikuo close behind.

"I can help you train, if you like," Kazahaya made a face like he wasn't sure what he was saying.

"What? You play soccer?" It seemed to work, Rikuo sounded dubious, taking longer strides to walk beside his blonde friend.

"No... but I can run well. I'm sure I can keep up with you."

"Well, I doubt that," Rikuo replied with an air of arrogance. Kazahaya rolled his eyes.

"But sure, that sounds like fun," Rikuo noncommittally agreed. Kazahaya swallowed. Yeah, fun.

Rikuo followed Kazahaya all the way to the cafeteria, even sitting down with him and Fai, eating the special as well. Fai gave Kazahaya a knowing look when Rikuo sat next to him. Kazahaya, in return, gave Fai a look that said, "Do anything to screw this up or I swear I'll rip your face off." And so breakfast went by smoothly, albeit a little awkward, with Fai up to his usual antics and Rikuo silently studying Kazahaya's blue eyed friend.

As the trio walked out of the cafeteria, Rikuo bid Kazahaya a good day.

"The team is having practice after school. If you want, you could come by the field, see what your getting yourself into," Rikuo spoke directly to Kazahaya. It took him a moment to remember that Rikuo was referring to the conversation just less than an hour ago, where he agreed to play soccer with him... for training purposes only.

"Oh, okay, sure." Kazahaya nodded awkwardly. He didn't miss the look Fai was sporting, standing behind Rikuo, like he was about to bust into a fit of girly screams and sexual innuendos.

Rikuo turned without another word and walked toward the gym. Fai stayed behind for the moment, the grin on his face about to crack his skin open.

"Fai, wait-"

"_Oh, my, God!_" Fai squealed in a whisper, taking tiny yet fast strides to get right up in Kazahaya's personal space.

"What's this, hm? He just totally asked you out!"

"No he didn't!" Kazahaya whispered harshly, a tip to Fai, who had practically screamed that last sentence. He glared at the students who had paused to stare but were quickly back on their way. "I'll explain to you later, please go to class. And for God's sake, don't embarrass me!"

"You mean, no more than you embarrass yourself?" Fai smiled cheekily. Kazahaya grumbled.

"I'll see you at lunch then, my darling!" Fai skipped away. Kazahaya groaned, wondering what he had gotten himself into.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Fai, why are you here?"

"Well, you said it wasn't a date, so excuse me if I just want to watch my man juggle some balls."

"Ugh, Fai, Kurogane is not _your man_, and why must you make everything so dirty?"

"Because deep down, everything is dirty."

Kazahaya hung in head in his hands. He supposed he looked less suspicious now, being the only boy watching the soccer team at their first practice before Fai joined in. Kazahaya had almost turned around and walked back out of the stadium when he noticed the only audience in the stands and on the sidelines were girls, huddled together and giggling. Now that Fai was here with him, maybe it didn't look as gay as Kazahaya's over-analytical brain made it out to be. If a third guy were to come and observe, then it would be a fair balance, and Kazahaya would stop wringing his hands and imagine people looking at him.

Right now the team was doing warm ups, stretching and running laps. Kazahaya was glad Rikuo didn't seem to notice him yet. He didn't need Rikuo to know he came as soon as practice started. It seemed Kurogane had already noticed Fai's presence, even though he had just arrived, by tripping and falling on his face in the grass.

"Nice wipe out," Fai observed. Kazahaya rolled his eyes, noticing Kurogane get back up with a red face, presumably from the fall, and throw Fai a speculative look before continuing. Fai waved cheerily in turn.

"Oh," Kazahaya suddenly remembered something. "So, did you talk to Kurogane about your Thanksgiving plans?"

Fai smiled widely, turning to give Kazahaya his full attention. "Yes! I actually asked him last week, but he didn't give me an answer, just sputtered and asked why, to which I said I wanted to spend more time with him, and he said he'd think about it. Well, after lunch today I asked him again, and was going to tell you- he totally said yes."

Kazahaya's surprised face might have been over done, but it was necessary.

"Really?"

"Yep! Which leaves you alone here... with Rikuo," Fai added in quietly, a hint of suggestion in his tone.

Kazahaya perked up. "Huh? Doesn't Rikuo have somewhere to go?"

Fai shook his head. "Kurogane told me that Rikuo always either goes home with him on breaks or stays here. He wanted to talk to Rikuo about it and I guess Rikuo was okay with it, cos Kurogane is coming home with me," Fai winked.

"Huh..." Kazahaya took a sideways glance at the field and spotted Rikuo immediately, juggling a soccer ball with one leg. Rikuo was looking at him too, Kazahaya noticed, before he focused his attention back on the ball.

Kazahaya furled his eyebrows. "You did ask your aunt and uncle, right? If Kurogane could come over?"

"Nah, she always prepares enough food for you as well, regardless if you come or not, so Kurogane will eat your portion. I'm positive they wont mind."

"If you say so..." Kazahaya trailed off, watching Rikuo as his moves became more intricate.

Fai watched too, glancing to the side to gauge his friend's reactions. He noticed how Rikuo would occasionally look back up, as if checking to see if Kazahaya was still watching.

"Rikuo is such a show off..." Kazahaya mumbled.

Fai sniggered. "He's trying to get your attention."

"How can you tell?" Kazahaya asked, not taking his eyes off Rikuo.

"How can you not tell?" Fai giggled, bored with watching Rikuo's obvious flirting and scanned the field for Kurogane.

Kazahaya forced his eyes away, not wanting to fall into whatever game Rikuo was playing with him, opting to get an early start on his homework. He pulled out his English notebook and a pencil.

Fai noticed. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Book report. Yay _Lord of the Flies_," Kazahaya tapped his pencil to the paper. Fai noticed there was already a paragraph scribbled down.

"You're still reading that?"

"No, the class finished like, last week. Now we're doing our final test on it and the report. After break we're starting _Fahrenheit 451_."

"Boring!" Fai exclaimed, reaching into his bag and pulling out _Hamlet_. "This is what we're reading. You AP kids are so pompous."

"Hamlet isn't pompous?" Kazahaya questioned.

"No, he's cool."

"He's weak," Kazahaya scribbled down some notes.

Fai shrugged, flipping through the pages absentmindedly. "I haven't actually started reading it yet."

Kazahaya figured as much.

"Hey!"

Kazahaya looked up and caught a flying soccer ball aimed right at his face in a crazy, spastic movement, breathing hard through his mouth after wards. He slowly brought the ball down to his chest and saw Rikuo jogging up to him, a huge smirk on his face.

"Did you just lob this at me?" Kazahaya accused defiantly, before Rikuo had even reached them.

"Would I do that?" Rikuo's eyes sparkled something devious as he stood in front of the spastic blonde. Kazahaya took a sharp intake of breath and held it. Rikuo was sweating, a lot. His red dragon mascot shirt was soaked and the skin that was exposed was shining and wet, making the his clothes and hair stick. Even though a sweaty man with scuffs of dirt and grass stains should have been disgusting, Kazahaya was somehow taken aback by the sight. It was... undeniably sexy.

The girls in the rows above him and Fai seemed to agree, as whispers became louder and their voices had risen in pitch.

Kazahaya wanted to retort. He wanted to retort _so_ bad, but knew if he opened his mouth right now, it probably be stutters and/or moans.

"Woo, Rikuo," Fai dramatically waved his hand at his neck, fanning himself. "You're making me so hot," he took his light jacket off for emphasis.

Rikuo gave Fai an incredulous look. Kazahaya squeezed his eyes shut. Not surprised, but thoroughly embarrassed. Yes, it was time to find a new best friend.

Rikuo ignored Fai. "Can I have my ball back?"

"I don't think so," Kazahaya finally lowered his arms to set the ball on his lap. He was suddenly grateful for Fai breaking the tension. Now that his brain was set on murdering Fai (and not on tackling Rikuo to the ground and making out with him), he was able to collect his thoughts and form a coherent sentence.

Rikuo took a step closer. The girls gasped. Rikuo broke eye contact to look at them briefly. Kazahaya rolled his eyes. Always so self absorbed...

As Rikuo suavely greeted the girls, Kazahaya found his line of sight was directly in front of Rikuo's crotch. He also caught Fai making an obscene gesture. It was obnoxiously hard to break contact with the front of Rikuo's track pants. They fit well, but were also very loose; it was difficult determining any shapes or sizes that was going on underneath.

Kazahaya blinked and mentally slapped himself. This is not the time, nor the place to be wondering how big Rikuo's dick is.

"You're in my space," Kazahaya managed to spit out, interrupting Rikuo, and actually managing to sound agitated. His thoughts had fled back to earlier that morning, and he really did not need his own stupid desires to break his cool... well, what cool he had.

"So?" Rikuo didn't seem to mind being interrupted. The girls voiced their displeasure.

"Wanna punch in the balls?" Kazahaya threatened, leaning back considerably, feeling Rikuo's eyes on him.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Rikuo caught Kazahaya off guard, grabbing the ball from his hands and turning around to get back on the field.

Kazahaya stood up. "Excuse me?" He shrieked.

"And stop staring at my ass!" Rikuo yelled as he began to jog. Kazahaya's jaw dropped. The girls laughed.

"... you _were_ staring." Fai interjected.

"Oh shut up, Fai," Kazahaya shoved his friend, who fell to the ground with a yelp.


	14. Visions

Boys... will be boys ;)

OMG OMG! -running around in circles- I have made it to 100 reviews for the first time _ever_! -convulsing- I SO DON'T DESERVE THEM BUT ASUDHWUBFEJKB!? -faints- You guys rock so hard! like, I wish I could give you all a hug! -sends an unhealthy load of virtual sweets instead-

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kazahaya wasn't sure what he was doing, standing about 15 feet from Rikuo, outside, in the backyard of the latter's house. It was the day before the school closed for Thanksgiving break. A five day vacation. Half the campus had already been missing, students skipping their classes to get an early start traveling home. Classes were over today though, so technically, break started now.

Rikuo stared down Kazahaya like he was a lion about to pounce on his prey, a white and black ball underneath his right foot. Kazahaya swallowed, unsure of how to stand or prepare himself, he kept his eyes on Rikuo, putting on his best game face.

"Ready?"

Oh, and Kurogane was playing too.

"I think I want to back out," Kazahaya admitted, not looking next to him, where Kurogane was standing. When he offered to help Rikuo train, he meant... help _Rikuo_ train. He didn't need two soccer jocks schooling him in the sport. If Kazahaya had known Kurogane would have seen the duo head outside and join in, he would have asked Fai to come along as well... Kazahaya wondered how Fai would fair in this setup. Probably better than him... Kurogane shouldn't even have been here. Kazahaya saw his duffel bag in the living room, stuffed to the brim, along side a backpack, similarly packed.

"Oh come on, this was your idea," Rikuo proclaimed. "Besides, you got Kurogane on your team, you'll be fine."

Kazahaya grumbled. The only reason this was his idea was to get Rikuo's mind away from teasing him, a quick recall in a moment of panic. Kazahaya was famous for impulsive decisions. And even though he should have gotten over it, Kurogane still gave Kazahaya the creeps. He didn't understand what Fai saw in the guy.

"Yeah, Kazahaya, don't be scared," Kurogane leered. Kazahaya frowned, sighing.

"I'll show you..." Kazahaya growled under his breath.

Rikuo waited a moment longer, then started the game by kicking the ball up high in the air. Kurogane and Rikuo raced to get it before it hit the ground, leaving Kazahaya standing like an idiot. Okay, so Kazahaya knew the basic idea of this game; get the ball into the opponent's goal. But when it came to getting the game started and then actually _getting_ the ball into netted goal, well, Kazahaya admitted to himself that he was a little lost on that... and probably should have told Rikuo.

Kurogane managed to get the ball by jumping and leaning back simultaneously, letting the ball roll down his chest. Using his knee, he bounced it in the air once more, turning away from Rikuo and kicking it at Kazahaya.

Kazahaya panicked briefly, almost using his hands to catch the ball, when he remembered that hands were off limits in soccer, and attempted to catch the ball with his legs. It must've not looked too graceful, but at least he now had the ball at his feet.

"Run, Kudo!" That was Kurogane, blocking Rikuo, who was trying to get at the ball.

Kazahaya wasn't sure where the line was drawn between American football and soccer, but he was pretty sure man handling was cause for a yellow flag in this particular game. Oh well.

Juggling the ball in between your feet wasn't as hard as it looked, the process was just slow going. Luckily Kazahaya's gym classes all had to endure indoor soccer games as part of the curriculum, so he knew what he was doing, kind of, minus the actual rules. He didn't pay much attention in P.E., the class was his lowest in academic scores.

Kazahaya kept his head down, watching the ball move between his feet and concentrating on moving as fast as he could.

"You're going the wrong way!" Kurogane yelled.

_Of course,_ Kazahaya thought sarcastically. Putting aside his embarrassment and turning around, giving the ball a hard kick so it passed the tangled men in the middle of the small backyard and, more importantly, closer to the _opponent's_ goal.

He heard Rikuo laughing as he ran past him to catch up to the ball. Just as he passed him however, he felt a hand clamp around his ankle and he was promptly yanked to the ground, face first.

"Ugh..." Kazahaya whipped his head around to glare at Rikuo, who had let go of his leg and managed to shove Kurogane off him. Kazahaya's eyes widened as he scrambled up, remembering that he needed to get back to the task at hand; trying to make himself look less like a fool than he was doing. Oh, and not let Rikuo get the ball.

Kazahaya pumped his arms as he ran, surprising himself at his speed, and just a little impressed that Rikuo had yet to pass him. Sure, he felt Rikuo's presence behind him, chasing him, futility trying to catch up, but he hadn't gotten close. _So there_. Kazahaya almost turned his head to see Rikuo's reaction, but wanted to prove he was a valuable asset in this game, and most importantly, make up for the embarrassing moment when he was heading the wrong way.

A grin stretched across his lips as Kazahaya reached the ball, giving it one last powerful kick, sending it flying into the small netted goal. He stopped running to watch the ball fly and suddenly felt a body hit him, hard. He was sent to the ground yet again with a great 'oof,' from him and Rikuo.

A parade of insults and insinuations stormed through Kazahaya's brain, but all he could manage to spit of of his mouth was groans... and grass. He muttered death threats, trying to push himself up, and Rikuo _off_.

"What was that?" Rikuo groaned. Kazahaya felt his body turn warm. Rikuo's lips were right on his neck, but were gone soon after as Rikuo slowly began pulling himself up.

"I said... I'll kill you!" Kazahaya spat, wiggling. Suddenly a greater weight was pressed down on him, Rikuo pressed flushed and not too snugly anew against his back side. Kazahaya couldn't breathe. He heard Kurogane's low chuckling from above and Rikuo begin to cuss him out.

"The _fuck_ Kuro? Get off!" Rikuo sounded genuinely pissed off.

"Just thought I'd join in on the fun," Kurogane seemed to sneer, but he did roll off. Rikuo followed shortly after, sitting up and stepping over Kazahaya, who inhaled deeply for his oxygen deprived lungs. He wondered if he had suffered any broken bones.

"... Did I miss something?"

The three boys looked up simultaneously to see Fai standing next to the back of the house, a stuffed garbage bag slung over his shoulder. His never fading smile as wide as ever, now with dubious undertones. There was also a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Hey, Fai," Kurogane got up quickly, taking long strides up to the newcomer, putting a hand on his shoulder and pushing him to face the other way. Fai followed along, mumbling something and protesting a little.

"Bye, Kazahaya!" Fai yelled over his shoulder. Kurogane took his black garbage bag from him, scolding him about his lack of proper packing material before they disappeared to the front of the house.

"... I will never understand those two," Rikuo muttered after a silence.

Kazahaya grumbled, pulling himself up to a sitting position. "Yeah, I'm fine, by the way. Thanks for asking." He wiped his face, looking at his hand afterward and scowling at the dirt he brought back.

"Hey, you're the one that stopped abruptly. Not my fault I crash landed into you," Rikuo smirked when Kazahaya turned his head to scowl at him. "Thanks for cushioning my fall though."

Kazahaya tackled Rikuo.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

It began to rain shortly after, ending soccer practice early and forcing the boys back inside the house. Rikuo offered to make coffee, to which Kazahaya politely declined, but tea would be nice.

"How do you run so fast?" Rikuo asked seriously while they sat on the couch, each with their preferred beverage. "It's almost feline the way you sprint," he grinned.

Kazahaya shook his head in mild irritation, narrowing his eyes as he watched Rikuo fiddle with the remote control. He didn't feel like arguing, so he answered seriously. "Practice. I just like to run."

"Yeah, it's good exercise..." Rikuo trailed off. The room went silent for a moment, the only sounds emanating were the low TV and the rain on the roof.

"Feel more 'in shape'?" Kazahaya tried to make conversation, rubbing his hands around the warm mug.

Rikuo shrugged. "Getting there... we can play more tomorrow, if you like. But only if the grass is dry," he gave up with finding something to watch and hit a button on the remote that made the screen turn blue. "Do you play Halo?" Rikuo was standing up as he said this.

Kazahaya knew of the game, knew what Rikuo was turning on was an Xbox, but had never played Halo... in fact...

"I don't play... much video games," Kazahaya didn't need Rikuo to know that the extent of his "game" knowledge was puzzles and chess. It wasn't his fault though, Kazahaya's parent's didn't allow modern things into the house such as video games or TV... it would distract him and his sister from their constant training and classes.

"Oh, well," Rikuo unraveled two complicated looking controllers, already plugged into the console. "You'll learn," he turned back and gave Kazahaya a grin. Kazahaya groaned. He had a feeling he was about to get his ass handed to him.

And handed to him it was. Rikuo seemed to be enjoying his handicap, finding Kazahaya no mater where he hid, and miraculously evading every single bullet, plasma bolt and projectile aimed in his direction.

"Man, you suck," Rikuo chuckled as the boys sat on the start screen, waiting for the next match.

Kazahaya held back a sigh. "Yeah well, I don't exactly have the time to play games..."

"I make time," Rikuo said offhandedly, thumbing the control stick back and forth distractedly.

"And then your grades suffer..." Kazahaya mumbled smugly. Rikuo turned, giving him a childish look.

"Hey, I'm passing all my classes," Rikuo sounded matter-of-fact. Kazahaya smirked.

"That's right, I forgot that Cs are considered passing."

Rikuo scoffed. "Wow, you are the biggest nerd I have ever met." But he was smiling. Kazahaya felt his heart stutter. He blushed, turning his head to stare at his controller to hide his pink face. It was funny how Rikuo's genuine smile elicited such a reaction out of the smaller teen.

As the next match started, Kazahaya getting more used to the controls and actually managing to land hits on Rikuo, the latter started speaking again.

"So, how come you didn't go home for break?" He asked, his eyes still glued to the screen.

Kazahaya bit his bottom lip, ignoring the question for a bit until he noticed Rikuo turn his head slightly in his direction.

"Ah, my family doesn't exactly get along well," Kazahaya answered honestly, vaguely.

"Not even on Thanksgiving?" Kazahaya heard the confusion in Rikuo's voice.

Kazahaya shook his head slightly, getting his character into a land vehicle. "Not even at Christmas..."

Rikuo paused the game. Kazahaya blinked, his hands going slack on the controller and looking over at Rikuo.

"What?"

Rikuo's eyebrows were furled, concern evident. "Really? You guys don't celebrate holidays? Or..."

"Uh..." Kazahaya looked to the side, feeling slightly uncomfortable speaking of his family. "I guess not. We don't give each other gifts or do anything special... we never have."

Kazahaya tapped his finger on one of the buttons, looking at the space between Rikuo and him, unable to see the mixed emotions contorting Rikuo's face.

"That's... really sad, Kaza."

Kazahaya looked up just in time to see Rikuo lick his lips, drawing his eyes to those wet lips. _Kaza... that's the first time Rikuo has called my name informally._

Kazahaya looked away before he was caught staring at Rikuo's mouth. "It's okay, I'm used to it," he shrugged.

The room became quiet, the rain was letting up.

"Um..." Kazahaya tried to turn the conversation before Rikuo asked him anything else. But the only thing that was in his mind now was...

"How come _you're_ not going home?" He didn't mean to sound prodding, but Kazahaya was curious.

Rikuo answered quickly, finally looking back at the TV. "No reason."

Kazahaya raised an eyebrow, about to question it further, but Rikuo had un-paused the game, forcing his attention back on his virtual driving.

It aggravated Kazahaya that, although he was vague answering Rikuo, at least he _had_ answered the question. He frowned, gripping his controller hard, hearing the plastic creak in his hold. He wasn't selfish, just curious. Rikuo didn't have to act like a jerk just cos he didn't want to talk about something.

An hour had passed before the tension in the room became too much and Kazahaya excused himself, saying some bullshit about how he was tired and "really, I need to shower anyway, so..."

Kazahaya might have been imagining it, but Rikuo looked relieved.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The next day was better. The sun was shining, eradicating any evidence of yesterdays rain, and Kazahaya got to sleep in. He had almost forgotten what it had felt like to be lazy, lounge in bed without anything planned for the day. But laying awake in bed also brought about thoughts, questions, day dreams...

Kazahaya thought about Rikuo. Thought about why he had avoided Kazahaya's innocent question. If it was something personal, why did Rikuo feel the need to hide it? _I mean..._

Kazahaya snuggled his face further into his pillow. He had told Rikuo he was gay, he had trusted him with such private information. Kazahaya thought he deserved some kind of compensation... not that he thought it was mandatory... just worth while. What could be more secretive... embarrassing or emotional, that Rikuo felt he had to keep it from his friend?

Kazahaya gnawed on his lip, calling Rikuo and himself "friends" still felt strange in his mind. But he knew it was true. Rikuo wouldn't let himself be so close to the eccentric blonde if he hadn't found some kind of favor in his classmate.

He turned on his side, taking his watch from the night stand and checking the time: a little past eleven. Kazahaya sat up, rubbing the crusty stuff from his eyes and letting a yawn tear through his throat. As he slumped out of bed and making his way lazily to the bathroom, he put critical thinking on the back burner.

Perhaps Kazahaya was thinking too hard on the subject... he was prone to make things harder than they seemed. But that didn't mean he could keep the nagging feeling that something was up with Rikuo out of his brain...

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kazahaya knocked on the front door of Rikuo's house around noon, swaying back and forth on his feet.

He waited a minute, hearing nothing inside, and gave another series of knocks, a little louder than before. After a few seconds, he heard a distant yelp and a curse. Kazahaya swallowed. He didn't want to intrude...

His mind went blank though, after he heard the lock clicking and the door swinging open, as he stood in front of a half naked Rikuo...

_Again..._ Kazahaya tried not to stare, but knew Rikuo probably caught his gaze as it focused on the draw string to his green plaid pajama pants and up his naked torso, taking half a second longer than necessary on the outline of his muscles and chest, before finally meeting dull green, half lidded eyes.

Thankfully Rikuo spoke first. Kazahaya didn't think his mouth would function in his current state of being.

"Whaddya want?" He slurred, sniffing and wiping his face with the hand that wasn't on the door.

Kazahaya swallowed hard, trying to decide whether Rikuo was more sexy or cute in the morning.

"B-breakfast, actually..." Kazahaya mumbled the last part. This wasn't something he normally did; beg for food. But the cafeteria was closed for break, and all Kazahaya had with him was fruit bars and snacks. His stomach had been growling with a vengeance since he awoke, and Kazahaya couldn't wait any longer. He thought coming here at noon would be more than enough time to let Rikuo get out of bed.

Rikuo grumbled something, stepping away from the door and extending a long brown arm. Kazahaya bowed his head slightly in thanks as he tried to walk past Rikuo as naturally as he could. He tripped over his own feet though, stumbling, but managing to stay off the floor. Because all he wanted to do was continue ogling Rikuo. How could a teenage boy look so perfect? So beautiful...

"Want cereal?" Rikuo shut the door, walking past Kazahaya and into the kitchen. He hadn't missed the teasing leer Rikuo managed to slip into his tone.

Kazahaya stopped, getting a good look at Rikuo's bare back, how his shoulder blades seemed to sink in the center, the slight indent at his waist, not really curvature, as he walked, his pants hanging just low enough...

Suddenly Kazahaya wished Rikuo would put a shirt on.

"Sure..." Kazahaya kept his jacket on as he hesitantly followed Rikuo into the kitchen, fingering the bottom hems.

"Sorry I woke you up," Kazahaya continued, standing awkwardly at the fridge, looking at the magnets and papers stuck to it.

Rikuo made a grunt like he didn't really care, preparing coffee.

Kazahaya shifted nervously from side to side, fiddling with his hair and keeping his eyes off Rikuo. This was ridiculous. It was ridiculous the effect Rikuo had on Kazahaya. In gym class, when he would change, the sight of the other boys didn't make him waver, didn't cause him to do a double take. Sure, sometimes he'd walk in on a guy naked in the shower, and he would get flustered, quickly excusing himself... but he thought that was pretty natural for a closet case like himself.

Rikuo had noticed his shuffling and cocked an eyebrow. "Well help yourself. Cereal is on top of the fridge... bowls," here he nodded to the cabinet in front of him. "And milk is obviously in there," he looked at Kazahaya again.

"Yeah, okay. Thanks..." Kazahaya shook his head when Rikuo turned to stare at the coffee pot filling up once more. He tried to think about other things... exams coming up, the paper he needed to write for AP English... orange juice...

He pulled out the milk, setting it on the counter and stepping back to examine the selection of cold cereal above him. Rikuo moved in his peripheral vision and Kazahaya regretted looking over instantly, but couldn't take his eyes away from the sight.

Rikuo had his arms high in the air, stretching, popping his back, his torso extending wonderfully. The muscles in his biceps quivered when he linked his fingers together and cracked them loudly while he stretched.

Kazahaya's jaw hit the floor, and his body almost went with it.

And the day didn't get any better.

After breakfast and waiting for Rikuo to shower (imagining Rikuo naked, water dripping off his perfect body...) and then receiving some strange, knowing glances from Rikuo, Kazahaya decided it was time to head outside and play some one-on-one soccer, rather exuberantly.

Kazahaya tossed the ball between his hands, walking to the end of the yard, feeling Rikuo's eyes on him as he moved... much more awake after coffee and a shower. Which Kazahaya was grateful for. Rikuo was just an unguarded... hot mess in the morning.

Staring at the goal in front of him, Kazahaya focused on the activities that were about to take place... and tried to come up with a solid game plan this time. It was obvious Rikuo liked to play dirty, Kazahaya would have to come up with a few tricks of his own if he wanted to beat Rikuo.

Halfway into the game, however, Kazahaya was cussing, losing his cool, sweating like it was summer temperatures, and not 40 something degrees Fahrenheit. Rikuo was so stupid. Kazahaya snarled and called flags but Rikuo just laughed, enjoying himself and Kazahaya's reactions.

"Is this how you play during real games?" Kazahaya spat after Rikuo had wrestled him down to the ground to stop him from getting the ball in his net.

"Of course not," Rikuo panted, excited. He had the ball under his foot now and Kazahaya was still on the ground, fuming. "You're an exception."

Kazahaya didn't know why he continued to play, but he did, still managing to get a few goals in, congratulating himself each time, and being sure to rub it in Rikuo's face each time. After a few hours of hard playing, however, Kazahaya had been losing his stamina, slowing down, kicks becoming weaker. He wasn't used to this much physical activity, and it was taking a strain on his body. He bent over slightly, hands on his knees, catching his breath while Rikuo juggled the ball, heading in his direction.

Rikuo looked spent too, but he still kept going, pushing himself, and his kicks were still powerful. Kazahaya only guessed this because seconds later, while he had stopped to catch his breath, Rikuo had misinterpreted a kick, sending it flying at his head instead of the goal. Kazahaya heard Rikuo yell something before he saw the ball hurtling toward his eyes and then blackness.

Kazahaya groaned, rubbing his eyes and temple, where he was feeling a throbbing pain then opened his eyes, startling himself as he looked around.

He was in a kitchen, but not Rikuo's. This one was bigger, cleaner, more homely. He looked down and touched the back of a wooden chair, but not really feeling it.

"Rikuo..."

Kazahaya looked up, seeing a lady in the archway that led into the kitchen. She had a basket of clothes in her hands. She walked past him through another archway. Kazahaya noticed her long black hair flowing behind her, slightly tangled and dancing along her hips.

"Did you check for eggs?" She asked from the room she was in. Her voice was light, friendly, and far away...

Kazahaya heard himself say "yes," but it didn't sound like him.

She returned empty handed. Kazahaya couldn't bring himself to look into her eyes, even though he tried. He had always been taught respect, to always look people in the eye when you regard them. It was odd, straining. Painful.

He saw her smile though. She said something else, but it was hazy, and before he knew it, the scene had shifted, changed. Suddenly the kitchen was darker, the sun gone, and red everywhere. Kazahaya heard himself scream in a horrifying way when he realized it was blood. Fresh blood, dripping off the cabinets, smeared on the walls. In a moment of panic his eyes briefly scanned the floor, not finding bodies, but what looked like human remains... But again, the screaming wasn't his voice. He moved to the entrance to the kitchen, racing to the foyer, screaming a name over and over again.

"_Tsukiko_!"

Kazahaya's eyes snapped open. He sat up in a frenzy, arms flailing and grabbing onto something, gripping tightly. When he heard a loud gasp, his eyes darted to the side, seeing Rikuo inches from his face, his eyes wide and shaking.

Kazahaya realized dully that it was Rikuo he currently had a death grip on, but he couldn't bring himself to release him.

"Ri-"

"What did you say?" Rikuo asked quietly, a rasp in his voice. Kazahaya looked down, they were on Rikuo's bed. He felt his vision become blurry for some reason.

"I..." Kazahaya's mouth worked uselessly.

"_What did you say_?" Rikuo almost yelled, bringing his hands up and shaking Kazahaya's shoulders.

Kazahaya cried.


	15. Understanding

I miss writing drama. Back story, anyone?

Guys, don't get mad at me this chapter XD Just wait... WAIT!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Kazahaya, what's wrong?" Rikuo backed off slightly when Kazahaya began crying.

Kazahaya brought a hand up to cover his mouth and nose, trying not to heave and looking away from Rikuo. The lump in his throat was so sudden, this feeling of guilt, loss, heavy sadness. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block the tears.

He felt Rikuo rubbing his back. It helped, it brought Kazahaya fully back to the present.

"Blood," he heard himself choke out. Rikuo's hand stopped moving. "I saw... blood everywhere..." he hiccuped. "And, a woman... with black hair..."

Kazahaya got a hold on himself, calming down, sniffling. Rikuo remained still and silent.

"... What are you talking about?" Rikuo asked quietly.

Kazahaya shook his head, keeping his eyes on his lap. "I don't know. But... I felt like I was there," he whispered.

Rikuo held back his words until Kazahaya's breathing became normal and he blinked out his last tear, watching the blonde sniffle loudly and groan, pushing bangs out of his eyes messily.

"You had a vision..." Rikuo spoke softly but seriously, hand dropping to the mattress.

"Huh?" Kazahaya looked back at Rikuo, who gave him a rueful smile.

"That's what I saw... that day," Rikuo's eyes cast down. "You saw Tsukiko, didn't you?"

Kazahaya didn't know if he could be certain, but somewhere deep inside him, where the memory was still fresh, was a strong pull of recognition. He nodded.

Rikuo licked his lips, wetting them as if he was preparing to say something. He looked up at Kazahaya, seriously, his face strained.

"Do you know... what you saw? I mean..." his eyes darted away again. Kazahaya frowned in confusion, wiping his nose as the last of his sniffles began dying down.

"Has this happened before? You said... that you've fainted before and had dreams...?" Rikuo spoke quickly, like he had more to say, but didn't know how to ask properly.

"Uh, yeah... but... never something so intense, so vivid," Kazahaya responded quietly, wondering how this situation happened, why it was happening, and what it all meant. He looked to his other side, where Rikuo wasn't sitting, and saw an ice pack melting on the blanket. He blinked, remembering that, _oh yeah_, he had been knocked out by that ball.

Kazahaya gingerly brought his hand up, feeling the side of his face, his hand flinching back when he rubbed over a tender spot at his temple.

"Sorry about that," Rikuo apologized. "Didn't mean to hit you..."

Kazahaya shook his head, bringing his hand back down. He moved further up the bed, getting comfortable. Rikuo shifted.

"Don't worry about it," Kazahaya said softly, not meeting Rikuo's eyes. His mind was swimming, images replaying in his mind unwillingly.

"You said I had a vision?" Kazahaya asked, raising an eyebrow and peeking over at Rikuo. Somewhere in his subconscious, he was freaking out about Rikuo being so close, and not moving. But it was probably the shock of what just occurred still fresh, freezing Rikuo in place. Kazahaya certainly felt that way. The butterflies hadn't arrived yet, which was good. Kazahaya hardly thought this was the time to get nervous over his feelings.

Rikuo nodded.

"... What does that mean, exactly?" Kazahaya had heard of fortune tellers and spiritual mediums experiencing visions, but Kazahaya doubted he had any sort of psychic abilities, especially any related to seeing into the future. If he had that power, exams would be so much easier.

Rikuo scratched the back of his neck. "I don't know... exactly. But..." He caught Kazahaya watching him and straightened up a bit. "I know enough to understand."

Kazahaya gave him a quizzical look. "How so?"

"Internet," Rikuo replied quickly, shrugging. "Actually..." he trailed off, getting off the bed and moving to his computer desk. Kazahaya almost fell over. He hadn't realized he had been leaning on Rikuo. He blushed, instantly feeling less tense and following Rikuo with his eyes as he took a seat at his desktop.

"What are you doing?"

Rikuo started up the computer then turned halfway. "Come here."

Kazahaya groaned, wondering why Rikuo had dropped the subject so quickly and thinking of a way to bring them back to it. He slid off the bed though, getting next to Rikuo and crouching slightly to look into the screen as well.

After a few minutes, Rikuo was logged on, and bringing up an Internet browser to show Google. Kazahaya furled his eyebrows as he watched Rikuo type in the word "psychic" and hit Search.

"Um..." Kazahaya tilted his head as he watched Rikuo fumble through the results, eventually getting to Wikipedia and following a link there, taking him to the page "Clairvoyance."

"Whoa..." Kazahaya and Rikuo read.

_Within parapsychology, clairvoyance is used exclusively to refer to the transfer of information that is both contemporary to, and hidden from, the clairvoyant. It is very different from telepathy in that the information is said to be gained directly from an external physical source, rather than being transferred from the mind of one individual to another._

_Outside of parapsychology, clairvoyance is often used to refer to other forms of anomalous cognition, most commonly the perception of events that have occurred in the past, or which will occur in the future (known as retrocognition and precognition respectively), or to refer to communications with the dead (see Mediumship)._

"You were on my bed, unconscious, where I obviously sleep and dream," Rikuo began when Kazahaya stopped reading and had looked at him. He nodded to the screen. "You don't know who Tsukiko is, you have no idea... what my past is. And yet..." here Rikuo looked frustrated. "You saw a memory of mine. Something that actually happened."

Kazahaya's eyes widened, shaking slightly. That scene, with the blood and gore, had actually happened? Rikuo was there?

"Rikuo..."

"I live with a psychic, when I'm not here. Well, I pay him rent by working in his store. So, trust me, I think I know what's going on." Rikuo spoke seriously, looking back at the screen, scrolling down.

Kazahaya briefly caught some text about characteristics of proclaimed clairvoyants and noticed, with a pang of intense curiosity, how he had some of the same traits. The inquisitiveness, the ability to sense and feel emotions, it was all very new and... kind of too much. Kazahaya stood up straight.

"Okay, this is really weird and all... but right now... I don't really care," Kazahaya sighed, running a hand through his hair. Rikuo looked back at him.

"I want to know... what I saw. Rikuo," Kazahaya's expression softened. "Tell me about Tsukiko, please?"

Rikuo looked down instantly, swallowing and tapping his finger lightly on the mouse in his hand.

"Come by tomorrow," was all he said.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kazahaya arrived at Rikuo's front door again, at noon. He couldn't wait any longer. The promise of what new things he would learn about Rikuo eating away at his thoughts and curiosity. Luckily this time when Rikuo answered the door, he was fully awake and, more importantly, dressed.

"Hey," Kazahaya greeted timidly.

"Hey," Rikuo stepped aside as Kazahaya entered. "Have you eaten yet?"

Kazahaya shook his head sheepishly. Rikuo scoffed, muttering a "figures..."

After a quiet breakfast of pancakes and eggs, Rikuo went to his room, instructing Kazahaya to stay in the living room.

Kazahaya sat on the old couch patiently, twiddling his thumbs and watching the black TV screen. When Rikuo came back, he had something in one hand, a comb?

Kazahaya raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

Rikuo sat next to him. "I want to try something, if you don't mind."

Kazahaya frowned, seeing the curved comb with a jeweled flower embellished atop it's gold teeth.

"What are you doing?" Kazahaya asked suspiciously.

"I just want... to test you, see if this clairvoyance thing is real-"

"Rikuo!" Kazahaya exclaimed, agitated. "I thought you were going to tell me about Tsukiko."

"I will," Rikuo insisted, eyes serious. Kazahaya frowned, unsure.

"It's just..." Rikuo went on. "Tsukiko... is a woman who is very important to me... and she's missing. And, I don't know. I'm hoping that you could help find some clues..."

Kazahaya looked at the comb and back at Rikuo. "And you didn't think to ask if I was OK with this?"

"Yeah, I thought about it, yesterday. I'm sorry I'm doing this, but to be honest, it's kind of something I'm a little obsessed about," Rikuo licked his lips nervously, fiddling with the comb in his hands. "And I don't tell anybody that. Nobody except my landlord knows about Tsukiko. It's not something I like to talk about.

"You don't have to do this," Rikuo went on, regarding Kazahaya's standoffish pose. "I'm just... curious. And I'll tell you whatever you want to know afterward. Promise."

Kazahaya and Rikuo had a staring contest. Kazahaya broke it first, sighing loudly.

"Hand it over," he held his hand out and Rikuo set the comb in his extended palm. Kazahaya relaxed, placing his other hand over the comb to enclose it. He wasn't sure what to do. He looked up at Rikuo, who was giving him an expectant look. Kazahaya darted his eyes to the side, carpet then back at his hands, exhaling slowly and closing his eyes.

He didn't squeeze his eyelids, just tried to relax. Kazahaya focused on the object in his hands and with a final exhale, he felt himself being pulled through a tunnel, much like the feeling he hand when he passed out in public speaking over a month ago. Kazahaya felt like he was being pulled, as if he was being risen out of a deep sleep, but when he opened his eyes, he wasn't in Rikuo's house. When he opened his eyes, he saw a girl with dark skin and darker hair in front of him, sitting at a clothed table, unwrapping a box. She was saying something excitedly, but Kazahaya couldn't make it out.

When she pulled the comb out of the box, Kazahaya understood. She smiled and made to hug him but the scene faded in and out and before he could feel her body against his, she was putting the gold comb in her hair in an intricate way, and it looked lovely. He still couldn't find her eyes.

Kazahaya was startled awake when he felt himself fall forward and rough hands gripping his biceps.

"Kazahaya, are you okay?" Rikuo asked worriedly.

"Yeah..." Kazahaya responded clearly, blinking and lifting himself off Rikuo's chest. The other teen helped steady him.

After Kazahaya was sitting fully again, he looked back down at the comb, fascinated, and handed it back to Rikuo without a word.

"Did you see anything?" Rikuo asked as he took it back.

Kazahaya nodded. "You gave that to her... as a gift."

Rikuo's mouth drooped slightly. He looked back down at the comb, thumbing over the flower. "Wow..." he breathed quietly before going completely silent. Kazahaya fidgeted.

"How are you feeling?" Rikuo asked after a long silence.

"I'm okay... thanks," Kazahaya was glad Rikuo asked. But... "So, wanna tell me anything?" He prodded carefully. After all... Rikuo promised.

"Yeah..." Rikuo looked nervous. "But first, can you answer something for me?"

Kazahaya hid his irritation. "What?"

"You said you don't go home for holidays, right? Does that include Christmas?"

"Yes..." Kazahaya began. "Usually I always go home with Fai, since spending Christmas alone is kind of sucky."

"Yeah," Rikuo agreed. "I rarely go back to the shop, with my landlord. He just makes me work. So I usually go home with Kurogane, but," Rikuo cut himself off, looking up at Kazahaya intently.

"If you stay here for winter break with me, I'll tell you everything."

Kazahaya gaped. "Rikuo-"

"Seriously... I did promise, didn't I?" Rikuo leaned forward slightly, aiming for emphasis. "I just need the extra time to think things through... you'll understand when I tell you."

Kazahaya sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with both hands, fighting the urge to groan.

"Kazahaya," Rikuo tried to get the fuming boy's attention back on him. Kazahaya gave him a bored look.

"I trust you... just like you trusted me," Rikuo spoke the last bit slowly, indicating the time, not too long ago, when Kazahaya came out to him. Kazahaya blushed lightly. "But it is hard for me, it's something I like to keep to myself. But if you really want to know... and if you wanted to help me, I will more than willing tell you whatever you want to know.

"Besides," Rikuo licked his lips again. Kazahaya looked away. Rikuo really needed to stop doing that.

"There's something I need to figure out... about myself..." Rikuo's voice got lower and quieter as he spoke. Kazahaya had to lean forward a bit and focus to catch that sentence.

Then their eyes met and there was something in Rikuo's eyes that Kazahaya hadn't seen before, something indiscernible. It made Kazahaya's heart stutter.

"Yeah, sure..." Kazahaya heard himself say.

Rikuo nodded. "Happy Thanksgiving, by the way."

Kazahaya tilted his head. The look in Rikuo's eyes had left. "Is it Thanksgiving today?"

Rikuo chuckled lightly. "Yep."

"What are you thankful for?" Kazahaya asked customarily, attempting to ease the awkwardness between them.

Rikuo just shrugged.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Going back to school wasn't easy.

Kazahaya's classes became mundane and stupidly difficult with thoughts of what occurred over Thanksgiving break racing through his subconscious. Graded papers he received back didn't meet his approval and he was losing sleep now over his lack of concentration, and imagining who Tsukiko was and how she could have such a powerful influence on Rikuo's life.

Was she his sister? Mom? Or... Kazahaya sighed with grief; his girl friend?

It was hard to figure out with such little clues... so Kazahaya had started to sneak touches at Rikuo whenever he saw him, hoping for another vision, but with no such luck.

In fact, Kazahaya barely saw Rikuo at all outside of their public speaking class. Soccer season had swamped the JV and Varsity teams in practice for their first games. Besides, trying to touch Rikuo without him noticing was a feat on its own.

And he didn't want to think about it too much, but Kazahaya couldn't help but notice how Rikuo seemed to be ignoring him. Putting aside how busy he was, they still shared a desk in class, yet as the days went by, the last green leaf changing as winter set in, Rikuo became more and more distant, barely acknowledging his classmate in the halls.

A week before Christmas break was supposed to occur, Kazahaya finally put it out of his mind, grudgingly, but he knew it was for his better health. After all, Rikuo had said he'd tell Kazahaya anything he wanted to know, right?

Kazahaya decided not to tell Fai about the discovery of his psychic ability... figuring he already knew, but wanting to wait just to be sure of it.

It was sad, being unable to tell Fai of any change in his and Rikuo's "relationship," when Fai was gloating ear to ear... about his.. relationship.

"You can't tell anyone," Fai was beaming, and practically vibrating, the week before the school closed for Christmas break.

"Who would I tell, Fai? Just spit it out." They were walking to Fai's on campus home, Fai's gloved hands swinging about his sides while Kazahaya's naked hands stuffed deeply into his coat pockets. The sky was clear, they probably wouldn't be getting any snow until the new year, but in light amounts that never accumulated. It was sad, when Kazahaya thought about it. The region of the States they were in never got enough snow to even build a dwarf snow man.

Fai giggled, gripping Kazahaya by the arm and slowing their walk to a crawl, his lips by his red ear.

"Kurogane is my boyfriend," Fai whispered with a squeal. Kazahaya smiled, sadly. He was happy for his friend, really. But hearing that just made him think of Rikuo again, and he thought he had successfully squashed him from his brain for the time being.

"About time," Kazahaya responded with. "Hope you're happy with that brute."

Fai shrugged noncommittally. "Eh, he's rough around the edges, and so far in the closet he's probably found Narnia, but he's perfect," Fai sang, stretching his arms out in front of him with a silly grin on.

"So," Kazahaya and Fai walked on. "When did this become official?"

"Well, _certainly_ not on Thanksgiving, when I took him on top of my roof and he kissed me... Yeah, let me repeat that, _he_ kissed _me_," Fai made a face like, _I know, right?_ Kazahaya snickered. "But he was being super annoying and I wanted to pester him _so_ much! But last night he finally admitted he liked me and," here Fai lowered his voice comically, "_not to tell anyone._"

Kazahaya shook his head in humor.

"Do you think... he'd be willing to go back with you for Christmas?"

Fai looked over at his friend, smile faltering. "You don't wanna come? My aunt really missed you."

Kazahaya shook his head. "I'd love to, but I have plans with... Rikuo."

"Ah, _plans_..."

"It's not as exciting as it seems," Kazahaya reassured his quick to jump to conclusions friend.

"Uh huh," Fai grinned. Kazahaya rolled his eyes.

"Well, I think that can be arranged," Fai nodded, skipping up the steps to his small house.

Kazahaya nodded back. "Good."

_Good._


	16. Conflicting emotions

Slight complaint AN:

This is THE chapter, guys. I'm so pleased to bring this update to you! ;A; and so, because of that, I expect reviews! I have _how_ many people following this story, and I get on average, about 4 reviews per chapter? C'mon guys. Do you know how happy it makes us (as in not just me, but all writers) when we see a review in our inbox?

Reviews are what keep me going, and I reply to every single one just because it really encourages me to keep going. I don't care if you don't know what to say, just a review saying "More!" will make my day so much better. And of course, the reviews offering advise and input are awesome as well :D

So, message for the day: review! Review the stories you like, let the author know they've done a good job. Trust me, and if you're a writer yourself, you know, how much it means to receive feedback :)

Explanatory AN and DISCLAIMER:

As you will see in this chapter, this is my take on Rikuo's past and his relationship with Tsukiko. This is what I dreamed up when I first saw that bloody scene in the second volume of Legal Drug... and my imagination has only been feeding into my theory, and I can't stop. I wanted to quickly update this chapter before CLAMP gets the real story out. I'm frustrated enough that CLAMP has already let out Rikuo and Tsukiko's connection, only because I love my concept, but it's probably pretty far from what CLAMP has planned... and that's fine. I just hope you readers will enjoy my little story of what happened in that room...

And if you read all that, you deserve cookies... made with my love! -kisses-

Read on!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kazahaya was freaking out.

Not the normal "freaking out" that his classmates were used to. But legit _freaking out_. As in, flipping his mattress, pulling out drawers, papers flying.

"Where is it? Where is it? Where the _fuck_ is it?"

Kazahaya's notebook was missing.

"_Shit_!"

The forbidden notebook, as it was known.

Kazahaya stood in the middle of the mess he had created, chest heaving from labored breathing. He backed up, legs hitting his disheveled bed and collapsed onto it, head in his hands.

_Okay... okay, last place I had it?_

… Truthfully, Kazahaya couldn't recall where he last had his notebook. It was normally always in his backpack, he put himself into the routine of being sure to put it right back into his bag after he scribbled in it.

_So..._ Kazahaya wracked his brain but came up short. He sighed. He really hated his short term memory. Ironic now, how he had the ability to see into other people's memories and such, but when it came to his own mind... he wasn't so graceful.

Kazahaya kicked at a stray textbook at his feet before he heard three knocks on his door. Kazahaya took a scan around his room, taking in the damage and unruly state in general and sighed.

"It's open," Kazahaya called lightly, knowing who it would be.

The handle turned and Rikuo stepped in.

"Hey, Kaza- whoa..." Rikuo's greeting died on his lips as he stepped in, eyes darting everywhere.

Kazahaya grinned sheepishly. "Morning."

"What happened here?" Rikuo asked, surprised, as he carefully walked around the mess, taking care not to step on anything.

Kazahaya shrugged. "I've misplaced something."

Rikuo chuckled. "What's that?" He leaned against a wall next to Kazahaya.

"It's not important," Kazahaya shook his head, waving his hand dismissively.

Rikuo scoffed. "It must be, for you to make such a mess."

Kazahaya stood. "Anyway," he tried to switch tracks. "What's up?"

Smirking, Rikuo answered, looking at the ceiling. "Just wondering if you wanted to come shopping with me. Kurogane left his car here for me to use."

"Christmas shopping?" Kazahaya guessed.

"Yeah," Rikuo folded his arms, watching Kazahaya find a pair of socks on the floor and slipping them on. He gnawed on his lower lip, Kazahaya noticed when he glanced up at Rikuo.

"What?"

"Nothing," Rikuo said, looking as if it was obvious. Kazahaya raised an eyebrow, then grinned, thinking it was his turn to do some teasing.

"Oh?" Kazahaya sat up, scooting over to his shoes and slipping them on. "Looked to me like you were checking me out," Kazahaya accused, his tone joking but his pulse pounding in double time, yelling at himself for flirting but anxious to hear Rikuo's retort.

Rikuo stood aghast for a few moments before snorting, replying with a similar tone. "You got me. No one should look so sexy while putting on _socks_."

Kazahaya focused on tying his shoes, wanting to reply with a, _really?_ he fought down a blush.

"Yeah, no one can resist my girly Spongebob socks."

Rikuo laughed. Kazahaya hid his wide smile behind his hair.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"I always wondered why they kept the campus housing open while the actual school stays closed," Rikuo began as he pulled out of the school grounds.

Kazahaya, in the passenger seat, shrugged. "Guess enough students stay for the school to leave the dorms open."

"That housing lady was giving me death glare when I was walking into the building."

Kazahaya chuckled. "She's probably pissed that she's gotta spend her Christmas watching over teenagers."

"I'm sure," Rikuo nodded. "I'd be pissed too if I had to work on a holiday."

"Mm..." Kazahaya looked out the window.

"So..." Rikuo started back up. Kazahaya shifted his gaze to him. "We got thirty minutes until we get to the mall, ask me anything."

"Oh!" Kazahaya sat up. "I almost forgot..."

Rikuo smiled dryly, eyes straight ahead.

"You don't mind... talking now? You're driving..."

Rikuo shook his head. "Nah, I think better when my hands are busy," he hit the blinker at that moment, signaling a left turn before effortlessly turning the wheel, settling into a new lane. "Besides, not to sound like a dick or anything, but I'd rather get it done and over with... I want to try and have some fun during this break..."

Kazahaya took a long look at Rikuo, attempting to decipher what he meant, but decided to take his words as is. Rikuo spoke bluntly, it didn't offend him. Kazahaya looked down at his lap, fumbling with his hands, wringing them out, tugging on his seat belt... Rikuo glanced over and spoke up again.

"Don't worry," he assured. Kazahaya glanced up at him again. Rikuo wasn't smiling, but his eyes were kind. He looked forward once more. "I'm an open book for you. Ask away."

Kazahaya inhaled and exhaled, preparing. "Okay..." He had thought of a million things to ask, but now, finally alone with Rikuo after waiting agonizingly for weeks, he was coming up short. It was just so anticlimactic and... not what Kazahaya expected. He thought for sure Rikuo would take him to his place, as usual, and they would discuss this whole... matter in the privacy of walls. Putting all that out of his mind, Kazahaya supposed the best way to start would be... "Could you... just start at the beginning? Where did you come from? How did you meet Tsukiko? And... what happened, that led up to that room?"

Rikuo tightened his grip on the steering wheel, swallowing a few times. Kazahaya watched silently, his eyes glued to Rikuo's profile.

"Well," Rikuo choked out, growling at himself and sighing, eye lids drooping slightly before he sat up anew. "I'm not really sure where the 'beginning' is, I was raised in an orphanage... I don't have any memory before then. And I never met my real parents...

"I ran away from that orphanage several times, ever since I learned how to walk," he flexed his arms slightly, pausing a moment. "Maybe that's why people never took a second look at me when scouting for a child to claim. Then again, I didn't want to go home with strangers... but I also didn't want to stay there. The other kids bullied me and when I grew up, I retaliated, hard," Rikuo drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. Kazahaya noticed his eyes looked distant, remembering.

"The police always found me and dragged me back to the orphanage, though. The teachers knew I was a helpless case. They would explain to me that I was free to leave once I turned 18. They told me that when I was around 13, 14... but it didn't help. Eventually, on one October night, I escaped again, and hid under a bridge, where I fell asleep.

"And the next morning... I woke up to a soft voice. A lady, asking if I was alive, who I was, where my family was..." Rikuo's expression softened. "She took me back to her place, telling me her name was Tsukiko, she was 17 years old, and lived on her own and she, too, didn't have parents.

"She lived in a small cottage like house, she raised chickens and had a goat," Rikuo smiled lightly. Kazahaya smiled too.

"But, unfortunately, Tsukiko lied to me... she had parent's, but excluded herself from them. Her dad was notorious in some gangs for borrowing money and not paying it back..." Rikuo licked his lips. "She didn't admit this to me until I was 15, when I informed her that she was being followed home," Rikuo's eyebrows furled, making him look angry, but Kazahaya knew he was just deep in thought... or remembering past emotions. "She told me that she hadn't spoken with her father in years, but somehow she figured out that he had fled the country, and a powerful group had found out that she was his only child, and had been keeping taps on her.

"It was a summer night, when it happened..." Rikuo tightened his grip on the wheel again, knuckles turning white. Kazahaya wanted to reach his hand up and rest it upon Rikuo's, but knew better, keeping his hands in his lap.

"They broke into the house. I was sleeping in my room when I heard her screaming," Rikuo spoke in curt sentences, probably leaving out details. "I ran down the stairs. There were about five of them, in the kitchen, another two were dragging Tsukiko out of the living room. I fought with several of them... before two of them held onto my arms and another started punching me in the stomach,"

"Geez," Kazahaya muttered. Rikuo glanced over at him, looking as if he forgot he had company before looking back to the road.

"Yeah, but, I somehow managed to wriggle myself out and... I was shaking, I saw them stuffing her into a car, and I was screaming, I was so angry, so scared..." Here Rikuo's face contorted, an array of emotions flashing in his eyes and through his features. Confusion, trouble, frustration. "And suddenly, the guys around me... just... _exploded_," Rikuo spoke softly, struggling for words. Kazahaya blinked, jaw dropping. Rikuo made a sound like even he could still not believe it.

"But, not just their bodies. Cabinet doors flew off their hinges, anything breakable in the room shattered. And... I heard their bones breaking, and I didn't stop screaming. I couldn't stop..." Rikuo's jaw seemed permanently unhinged, unable to close. "I felt something rushing through me, something unstoppable. I thought my eyes were gonna pop out of my sockets..." He closed his eyes briefly before remembering that he had to look at the road. "Everything was so loud, I thought for sure someone outside would have noticed...

"Eventually, it ended... it could have lasted hours... I stood there for a long while, before I tried running out the door, but I didn't get far before I collapsed suddenly. I felt so weak. And when I woke up again, it was morning. I didn't call the police, instead I ran to my room, packed some clothes, and ran away... again."

Rikuo fell silent. Kazahaya's brain was swimming... replaying Rikuo's words over and over, while a slew of new questions arose, beating against the inside of his head like a migraine. But mostly he was thinking about Rikuo, how extremely sad he felt for him... how Rikuo managed to be so strong after all that... and how something so horrific... could just _happen_. Surely there was a reason, and he was sure Rikuo would explain, once Kazahaya collected his thoughts.

"Tsukiko..." Rikuo started again, softly. "She found me. She didn't belittle me. She took me in, fed me, cared for me... She's my savior. My mother, my sister... I love her. I owe her everything," Rikuo relaxed his tense shoulders, slumping in his seat. "And I don't even know if she's alive..."

"I'm so sorry, Rikuo..." Kazahaya wasn't sure what to do, his voice was so quiet. He reached out and touched Rikuo's elbow.

Rikuo looked down at Kazahaya's fingers and sighed. "I honestly thought I'd never tell you that story," he laughed without humor. "Or, anyone..."

He pulled into a parking lot. Kazahaya finally looked around at his surroundings, noticing they had arrived in town. Once Rikuo found a parking space, shutting off the engine, the boys sat in silence.

"You wanna talk more here? Or..."

"No, no," Kazahaya unbuckled his seat belt. "I mean, I have more questions, but that can wait. I think I need a break after all that," Kazahaya admitted, giving Rikuo an apologetic look.

Rikuo followed suit, unrestraining himself and taking the keys from the ignition. "That's understandable. I need a break too, actually," Rikuo and Kazahaya stepped out of the vehicle at the same time. "Shopping should be a good distraction."

Kazahaya nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly, then without warning, he wasn't even aware his feet were moving, he stumbled around the car over to Rikuo, throwing his arms around his abdomen, hugging him tightly.

Rikuo stood silent for a few moments, arms stiff at his sides, before sighing loudly, relaxing, bringing his arms around Kazahaya as well, letting the blonde stuff his face in his chest.

They held each other for a long time, much longer than social norms called for, but for once Kazahaya didn't care. He squeezed Rikuo to him like a life line, listening to Rikuo's rapid heart beat slow down, waiting until it sounded normal before slowly pulling away.

Rikuo didn't let them get more than arms length apart. Kazahaya carefully looked up at Rikuo's face, noticing the tip of his nose was red and his eyes were shiny, as if he were holding back tears.

"Geez," Rikuo muttered, looking down, embarrassed. "I didn't think I needed a hug..." His voice cracked. Kazahaya felt a lump form in his throat.

"You're welcome," Kazahaya said softly, his own voice giving away. Rikuo laughed, sniffling and groaning, pulling a hand away to wipe his eyes.

"Shit, come on, lets get inside, before I start fucking crying," he was smiling slightly, shaking his head and turning away from Kazahaya.

Kazahaya smiled widely, keeping up with Rikuo's long legs.

"Who knew the Brick Wall had it in him to shed tears," Kazahaya mumbled to himself, remembering Fai's nic name for Rikuo fondly now.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

After a couple hours of present shopping, which did indeed prove to be a healthy distraction from the dark conversation that occurred in the car, the boys sat in a coffee shop, at a small table, each with his own beverage.

And a slice of chocolate cake.

"I had almost forgot your weakness for chocolate... so girly," Kazahaya teased, stirring his peppermint tea with the stringed bag.

"What, and _tea_ isn't girly?" Rikuo retorted. Kazahaya rolled his eyes as he brought the cup to his lips.

"Pinky out..." Rikuo sang softly, grinning. Kazahaya set his cup down and flipped Rikuo the bird, making the taller teen snicker into his coffee.

"Did you get me a present?" Rikuo spoke once more after a comfortable silence, sounding like a child. Kazahaya smiled.

"Maybe," Kazahaya brought his shopping bags a little closer to his chair, as if Rikuo would see into them. Rikuo deliberately leaned over, pretending to sneak a peek. Kazahaya glared jokingly at him and they both chuckled at themselves afterward.

"Not that I mind, but did you get me a gift?"

"I don't think you deserve one," Rikuo said, staring at his brown pastry.

Kazahaya feigned shock. "Why not?"

"Bad boys don't deserve presents," Rikuo wore a smirk to match the Grinch's. Kazahaya fought back the urge to laugh at Rikuo's tone, hiding his smile behind his cup.

"I know you got me something though," Kazahaya looked confident.

"Oh really? How do you know?" Rikuo started eating his cake slice.

Kazahaya pointed out the door. "I saw you going into that book shop."

"What? That automatically means there is something for you there?"

"Maybe... I know you don't read books..." Kazahaya sounded smug again. It was unbelievable how comfortable he was becoming around Rikuo, how easily bantering came to him now. It finally didn't feel weird to call Rikuo his friend... although there still was a longing there.

Kazahaya nudged his tea cup. Under different circumstances, this would look like a date. Circumstances... like if Kazahaya was a girl, and if Rikuo was paying for him. Which he wasn't, thank God. That might have been awkward. But oh, how easy it would be to tilt his foot to the side, touch Rikuo's shoe with his own... how easy it would be to reach across the small space between them the table offered, and hold Rikuo's hand.

"I could have been getting something for Kurogane," Rikuo broke Kazahaya out of his mulling.

Kazahaya snorted at that. "I don't even think Kurogane knows how to read."

Rikuo scoffed. "Why do you dislike him so much? We're practically the same."

Kazahaya shook his head, responding a little too quickly. "Not at all."

Rikuo raised an eyebrow. Kazahaya blushed slightly, sinking into his chair.

"Speaking of Kurogane," Rikuo restarted, straightening his shoulders. "Did you hear... him and Fai are... you know, _together_?"

Kazahaya rolled his eyes again. "Yes, I've heard. Fai won't shut up about it."

Rikuo laughed. "Wow... it's really weird, mostly cos I never thought Kurogane... swung that way but," he shrugged, poking his cake. "I support him. He is my best friend."

"That's nice of you..." Kazahaya spoke softly, staring at his tea before looking back up at Rikuo, a personal question on the tip of his tongue, threatening to escape the next moment he opened his mouth.

"So..." _Oh no, here it comes!_ Kazahaya swallowed. "How would you identify yourself?" He didn't meet Rikuo's eyes, embarrassed.

Silence fell, Rikuo fidgeted where he sat, Kazahaya only noticed out of his peripheral vision.

"You mean... sexually?" Rikuo clarified. Kazahaya nodded, feeling his face was about to burst into flame.

Another silence. _Geez, it shouldn't be that hard to answer! _Kazahaya yelled at Rikuo in the privacy of his mind.

"... I don't know," Rikuo finally answered, vaguely.

Kazahaya peeked up at Rikuo, noticing he was also looking everywhere else but at Kazahaya.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Rikuo sighed roughly. "I'm still figuring it out."

Kazahaya couldn't stop the hope that swelled up within him... even if Rikuo never seemed to take an interest in him. Even if Rikuo never seemed to take an interest in anything. It nagged Kazahaya, that he still couldn't figure Rikuo out, and the mixed messages he always sent out... although Kazahaya always took any physical or verbal taunts as teasing, suddenly they looked an awful lot like flirting. Like, curiosity. Kazahaya set his elbows on the table, lacing his fingers and setting his chin atop them.

"Well," he bit his lower lip, thinking (for once) before he spoke. "Is there anyone you like?" He tried to make it sound helpful, but there was a longing in his voice that he couldn't stop from emerging. But it was too late to take it back now, and he watched Rikuo react.

Rikuo stiffened, tapping a finger on the table's surface before lifting his lashes, and stared at Kazahaya. Stared at him, long and hard, green eyes burning into azure. Kazahaya felt his breath catch, his heart stopping. That same, indistinguishable look etched into Rikuo's eyes he had seen him give on Thanksgiving.

That stare held Kazahaya in place. He wondered what his eyes were betraying, but something finally made Rikuo's eyes soften as he broke contact, looking at the table's surface. Kazahaya felt like he had been released from a trance. When he blinked, his eyes were dry.

"Ready to go?" Rikuo spoke loudly. It startled Kazahaya.

"Yeah."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The drive back was quiet, the air thick with an unknown tension. Kazahaya constantly was taking peeks at Rikuo, nervous, anxious... but for what? He began chewing on his nails. What was that look? Rikuo was such a mystery sometimes, and it bugged Kazahaya to no end. If this was how vacation was going to be, he'd rather get back to discussing Rikuo's morbid past... he still had unanswered questions for him, after all.

But Rikuo had driven up to the dorm building before Kazahaya had time to formulate words. Oh well, tomorrow was another day, they had three weeks together for break... almost a full month to themselves. Kazahaya shuddered at that... a month alone with Rikuo. He would need to practice the restraint of a monk.

Soon Rikuo was shutting off the engine, Kazahaya looked over at him, surprised, and when Rikuo offered to walk Kazahaya to his room, Kazahaya agreed by nodding, heart pounding, mind racing. This was... unexpected. He clutched the light weight bags in his hand, fumbling to get his keys out of his pocket.

Walking up the stairs had felt longer than the car ride, and made even more unbearable, as Kazahaya felt Rikuo's eyes on him, as he followed the blonde to his room. Kazahaya wanted to break the awkward silence, say anything, but found his tongue useless. He tried to focus instead on keeping one foot in front of the other, tripping right now would so not be cool.

Finally they reached Kazahaya's door, waiting as the occupant shakily unlocked it, pulling his key back, and turning to face Rikuo.

_Whoa, was he this close the whole time?_ Kazahaya stepped back out of habit, Rikuo was about a foot away from him. Rikuo didn't move back, he noticed, heart skipping a beat at the look in those green eyes.

"T-thanks for taking me out," _shit, no! You just made it sound like a date!_ "Uh, I mean, letting me tag along... and stuff..." Kazahaya stared at Rikuo's shoulders, not wanting to appear rude and watch his own feet, which he really wanted to do, but unable to find the courage to look Rikuo in the eye.

"No problem," Rikuo's voice was curiously steady, albeit lower in pitch than usual. Kazahaya literally felt weak in the knees. His voice sounded so sexy... low and quiet.

Logical thinking was leaving Kazahaya like a sieve, he couldn't even comprehend _why_ anymore, just hoping to get into his room as soon as possible before he did something he would regret...

He finally looked down at the floor. "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow," _probably... _Kazahaya thought as he turned once more, opening his door and stepping inside.

But before he was fully inside, he felt a harsh snag on his wrist, pulling him back out. And before he could figure out what was going on, another hand was on his shoulder, turning him around, and before he could open his mouth to protest, he felt something warm and soft touching his lips.

Kazahaya dropped his bags and his keys.

Rikuo was kissing him. Soft, hesitant, still. And before Kazahaya could even think about closing his eyes, it was over. The only evidence that it even happened was the small sound of lips separating resonating through his ears.

Kazahaya was starting to become used to these periods of silence between him and Rikuo, but this one made him motionless, and light as a feather. He watched Rikuo open his eyes, gaze right on him, in him. Rikuo's normally piercing green eyes took on a darker shade, no longer piercing, but _penetrating_, shaking Kazahaya to his core.

They stared at each other for what felt like hours, Kazahaya trying to figure out what he should do next, but his mind was blank, wiped clean of everything. He almost jumped a foot in the air when Rikuo whispered, a rasp in his voice.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he repeated what Kazahaya had said to him before abruptly turning on his heel and briskly walking back the way they came.

Kazahaya stared at the wall in front of him for a full five minutes before he looked down, picking up his things and walking into his room, dazed, shutting the door with a quiet click behind him. As he sat down on his disheveled bed, Kazahaya's brain finally caught up to his body, and he turned red, blinking erratically. He brought a hand up, touching his lips softly. His tongue darted out and he licked his lips, smacking them together and... he giggled.


	17. Kiss me

AN: 13 reviews last chapter guys!? I'm floored XD Thank you so much!

Sorry this chapter took a while, I was having serious issues with Rikuo (damn him) but I think this is adequate... hope you think so too! (It certainly is long enough, holy cheese balls)

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kazahaya barely got any sleep that night... depressing, horrifying thoughts of Rikuo's past plaguing his mind and moments after that, as if his subconscious was trying to calm him down, he thought of the kiss. He tossed and turned for hours, trying to clear his mind and at least doze... but it wasn't happening.

Thinking of Rikuo kissing him had the opposite effect of calming. Kazahaya finally cracked his eyes open, noticing it was still dark out, and let his mind drift.

_Rikuo... kissed me. Oh my God. _It was so random, and surprising and... out of the blue. Kazahaya had no idea what to make of it. Did Rikuo do it to distract him from the conversation in the car? He hardly thought that was necessary, as the shopping trip and awkward chit chat at the cafe did that just fine... if Rikuo didn't want Kazahaya bringing Tsukiko up again, there were other ways of performing that.

So, did Rikuo do it... to see Kazahaya's reaction? The blonde furled his eyebrows at that. No, even if Rikuo was a horrible tease and generally enjoyed seeing Kazahaya riled up, the youth had a feeling Rikuo wouldn't take it as far as a kiss... even if it was to poke fun at Kazahaya's sexuality... which his classmate had never done before. Kazahaya quickly brushed this reason aside.

The only logical explanation behind Rikuo kissing him, was because he wanted to. Kazahaya grinned a little crazily, sinking further into the covers. Whether it was out of curiosity or interest that Rikuo decided to act, Rikuo _had_ done it... and he certainly didn't look disgusted or weirded out when he pulled back. He actually looked, if Kazahaya could allow the fantasy into his mind, _turned on_.

Kazahaya had never had a boyfriend before, but he read enough books and watched enough romance flicks to understand how a man looks when he's looking at something he _wants_. Eyes grow dark, pupils enlarged... his whole demeanor changes. Kazahaya shivered just remembering the look in Rikuo's eyes after the kiss. _God_... but, why?

Wasn't Rikuo straight? Well, Kazahaya had never seen Rikuo with a girl... and he told him yesterday that he was debating his sexuality.

Was it because of him? Was Rikuo confused because he was falling for Kazahaya?

Kazahaya felt a thrill at the idea, but didn't want to delude himself into thinking a guy like Rikuo could ever fall for a bean pole like him. A klutzy, pale, irrational bean pole who tried too hard to get Rikuo's attention.

_Stop being so hard on yourself_, his mind chastised him. Obviously, he was succeeding in capturing Rikuo's attention... whatever the soccer player saw in him. And if Kazahaya could be honest with himself, he knew he was attractive... but he also knew he had the label of "pretty boy," upon his head. The only girls who gave him second looks were cute, younger than him girls. Never the hot ones with breasts... not that Kazahaya was looking.

And besides, his mind continued to keep him awake, Rikuo's not a girl. He's not cute- he's _hot_- and every type of girl gives him their attention. Again, a question arose from the depths of his imagination. _Why me?_

Perhaps Kazahaya would find out when he payed Rikou his usual afternoon visit.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

After deciding that getting any more sleep was not an option, Kazahaya had thrown himself out of bed, at 5am, to get a head start on the day. He cleaned and reorganized the wreck that was his room, remembering again the reason behind it and groaning miserably, only imagining the hands that his notebook could fall into. He took a long shower, without boys waiting for him to finish and with hot water to spare, Kazahaya enjoyed the extra time to scrub his body, making sure to be thorough.

It killed him to wait until noon, but Kazahaya did, arriving at Rikuo's door step with his heart beating fast enough to cause an internal defect.

Kazahaya thought he was going to throw up, standing in front of the door, hand poised to knock. Suddenly, he didn't think he could do this. A million scenarios of what Rikuo could do when he opened the door flashing through his mind. Kazahaya suddenly wondered how much sleep Rikuo had acquired, if he had thought about the consequences of his actions as much as Kazahaya did.

Swallowing the lump in his throat once more, inhaling through the mouth, Kazahaya knocked steadily three times on Rikuo's door, rocking on the balls of his feet and clasping his hands behind him to prevent them from playing with his hair.

It wasn't long before Kazahaya heard a dead bolt sliding out of place and Rikuo opening the door. Kazahaya's breath hitched and he almost groaned.

Rikuo was shirtless. _Again_.

_What are you doing?_ Kazahaya managed one coherent thought as he stared at Rikuo's chest, noticing dully that instead of pajama pants, he was wearing jeans. God _damn_, he looked good in nothing but jeans.

Kazahaya swallowed a few more times, tearing his eyes away to meet Rikuo's, which he noticed looked... amused?

"Why don't you wear a shirt when you answer the door?" Kazahaya mentally congratulated himself for not stumbling over his words, and even managing to sound a little put off.

Rikuo smirked and Kazahaya thought he was going to pass out.

"Why do you always look so frazzled?" Rikuo's tone held smugness, with real curiosity underlying.

_Take a wild guess._ "Answer my question first," Kazahaya spoke instead, taking a step forward. "May I come in?"

Rikuo stood his ground for a moment, contemplating something; Kazahaya saw questions in his eyes. Rikuo did finally step out of the way though, before Kazahaya opened his mouth to question why they were standing in the doorway, when it was freezing outside. Kazahaya willed his heart rate to go back down and to not blush as he skittered past Rikuo. He muttered a thanks, hearing the front door close quietly behind him.

"I was about to make some breakfast, want anything specific?"

Kazahaya turned his head and thanked whatever higher power was out there for convincing Rikuo to pull a hoodie on, one he apparently grabbed from hook near the door.

Kazahaya ignored Rikuo's question for the time being, deciding to tease a little bit. "Cold?"

"Yeah," Rikuo muttered as his head poked out and he adjusted the hood that draped on his back.

"Should've thought about that before answering the door half naked," Kazahaya bit his lip after he spoke.

Rikuo made a sound like a soft laugh. "Guess so," he muttered again, walking past Kazahaya, into the kitchen. Kazahaya kept an eye on him as he moved to sit at the small table.

Was Rikuo going to talk about what happened yesterday? Kazahaya didn't think he had it in him to bring up, what would ultimately lead to, an awkward conversation. He drummed his fingers on the back of his chair.

"So," Rikuo opened his fridge door. "Breakfast. I don't really feel like cooking, but I have some left over rice and I can whip up some eggs if you like..."

Kazahaya stood. "I can make eggs, if you don't feel like it," he fidgeted, but honestly thought doing something, rather than sitting and watching Rikuo, would be a good way to calm himself down.

Rikuo came out from the fridge, holding a carton of eggs in one hand and a Tupperware container in the other, full of white rice, and closed the fridge door with an elbow.

"If you insist, I won't stop you," was Rikuo's answer.

After a couple minutes of pointless conversation, Kazahaya making scrambled eggs on the stove and Rikuo heating up the rice, the boys sat at the table, silently eating.

_Why is he acting like nothing happened?_ Kazahaya screamed in his brain, darting quick glances at the boy in question, noticing he was focused on his plate of food. Uncertainty befuddled the youth's mind. Perhaps Rikuo regretted what he did, and wanted to pretend it hadn't happened. That Rikuo _hadn't_ kissed Kazahaya outside his door.

But he did do it. Kazahaya glared at his food, an unknown surge of frustration building up inside him. If Rikuo didn't start talking in 3 seconds, Kazahaya would explode.

"So, about yesterday," Rikuo started quietly, as if he had read Kazahaya's mind. Said boy froze, fork in mid air.

"Yes?" Kazahaya tried to sound nonchalant, but his voice betrayed him. He set down his utensil.

Rikuo poked an egg before meeting Kazahaya's eyes.

"Sorry... about that. Um..." He brought a hand up, rubbing the back of his neck. "It probably wasn't appropriate, I mean, right after I told you about Tsukiko..."

"What wasn't appropriate?" Kazahaya blushed at himself. He wanted to hear Rikuo say it...

Rikuo looked at him again, a tinge of pink on his own cheeks. Kazahaya managed to keep his jaw from falling and joining the food on his plate at how absolutely adorable that made Rikuo look.

But when he spoke, he didn't stutter, or sound bitter, he sounded sure.

"Kissing you," even after he said it, and Kazahaya let out a slow breath, Rikuo smirked slyly, as if he was proud he did it.

Rikuo sat up straight, getting his confidence back after admitting it.

"It's an idea I've been playing around with for a while now..." he said softly, looking off to the side. "... Actually."

Kazahaya felt glued to his chair, mind reeling and surprise racing through his body.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Rikuo sounded as surprised as Kazahaya felt, catching his gaze once more.

Kazahaya looked back at his food, playing with it. "So... what does that mean?" He asked softly.

That caught Rikuo by surprise, or so Kazahaya guessed, by the sudden silence.

"Well," Rikuo shifted his chair closer to Kazahaya's, who's eyes, in turn, got as wide as saucers.

"Did you like it?" Rikuo leaned over to barely whisper that in Kazahaya's ear, which turned red afterward.

Kazahaya wondered if this was a trick. Rikuo suddenly being so forward about this, so unashamed. But Kazahaya didn't think he could speak; he nodded, about dying from heat.

Kazahaya could practically feel Rikuo's grin as his lips ghosted over his ear, closer...

"Would you like to do it again?"

_Jesus_. Kazahaya covered his face with his hands, beyond embarrassed and jittery. Now that Rikuo had presented himself to Kazahaya, asked if he wanted a kiss, suddenly Kazahaya was reacting like the virgin he was. Sure he could write about whatever his filthy mind made up between Rikuo and himself, could daydream and get himself off whenever his teenage libido chose to, but... to consciously answer the question of _would he like Rikuo to kiss him again_, no matter how positively his brain responded, the proper body parts to relay the signal had shut down.

"You're all red," Rikuo sounded amused by his ear. Dammit, why was he so calm, when Kazahaya was shaking like a leaf?

Kazahaya almost fell out of his chair when he felt lips press against his thumb, which was currently covering his cheek. He did ungracefully topple out of it, leaving a stunned Rikuo to stare at empty space as Kazahaya moved to the living room.

"Uh," Kazahaya coughed, knowing his face was beet red; he could feel the burn on his cheeks and ears. "So, I wanted to ask you some more questions, if that's okay," he spat out quickly, sitting on the couch and screaming at himself internally. Dammit! Why couldn't he just get over his nerves? Wasn't this something he'd been waiting for since he first laid eyes on Rikuo? He wrung his hands out, staring at his knees.

Silence again, then Kazahaya heard the creak of the chair as Rikuo got out of it, he didn't hear him walking though.

Kazahaya tilted his head to the side, noticing Rikuo standing at the entrance to the living room, facing him, arms folded, a shit eating grin on his face. Kazahaya sat up fully, frowning comically.

"What?"

Rikuo's eyes sparkled something. "Nothing much," he unfolded his arms, sauntering into the living room, unaware of the young blonde's increasing heart rate, and took a seat next to Kazahaya, close enough for their thighs to brush.

"Now," Rikuo was the picture of ease as he faced Kazahaya fully, taking note of his red face but not commenting on it. "What would you like to know?" He spoke softly, tilting his head slightly, as if he were trying to seduce Kazahaya, rather than ask a harmless question.

Kazahaya's mouth fell open. "Uhm..." he leaned away from Rikuo, trying to get his bearings because... in all honesty, he wanted to kiss Rikuo again... wanted to throw himself over him _right now_ and finish whatever the hell Rikuo had started. But he knew if they started anything... intimate, before Kazahaya had the whole story of Rikuo's past, he would forget to bring it back up. Especially the way Rikuo was suddenly acting now... Kazahaya could tell he wanted to touch him. It was so obvious, especially in his eyes...

_Oh shit, don't look_... Kazahaya's eyes darted back to his knees when he felt himself unconsciously leaning in. He popped his knuckles as something to do. Right... questions... um...

Rikuo waited patiently, Kazahaya noticed with admiration. He swallowed and wracked his brain, putting aside his bodily desires and mental cravings for now, and tried to form words.

"So, ah, when you ran away... where did you go? How did you get here? Why did those guys... just _blow up_?" Kazahaya met Rikuo's eyes again after he got the questions out, noticing the fire wasn't exactly gone... just hiding for the moment. Kazahaya felt himself shiver.

"Well," Rikuo started, not averting his eyes. "After a couple days of running, almost starving myself, I found myself in a city," he finally blinked and released Kazahaya's eyes. Who in turn relaxed immediately, resting his eyes instead on Rikuo's hands, folded together neatly.

"I was on the side walk, thinking about dumping my bag of clothes cos it just felt so heavy... when suddenly there was someone blocking my path. I didn't see his face right away cos I was looking at the ground, probably about to collapse face first." He cast a look at Kazahaya that was probably supposed to be humorous.

"The guy, his name is Kakei, he was saying something, I can't remember, but he touched my shoulder gently and all the walking and lack of sleep finally took over I guess and I collapsed.

"When I woke up I was on a couch, in an office. He was sitting on the far end of the couch." Rikuo waved his hand, dismissing something. "Anyway, he said he'd been 'waiting for me' and he was expecting me to arrive," Rikuo kind of scoffed here. Kazahaya took to resting his elbows on his knees, like a child, head supported by his hands.

"He was telling me all this cryptic bull shit that I was dismissing right away, trying figuring out how to escape, when he mentioned Tsukiko's name, and that he could help me find her... that she was the key to something..." Rikuo shook his head. "Whatever that means... I didn't care. I was suspicious, of course, thinking he worked for the guys who came to Tsukiko's house and had just apprehended me or something... but I couldn't bring myself to leave, despite the threat. There was something about him, I don't know, that seemed innocent, friendly. And his partner too, Saiga. They helped me through a lot, gave me a place to stay and a job to earn money... and they taught me things too..."

Rikuo paused, licking his lips, peeking over at Kazahaya.

"I eventually grew to trust Kakei, and even told him what happened to me, and he nodded like he understood... and he told me I had a special gift... and he looked so creepy when he said it, I wasn't sure if what he was talking about was indeed a 'gift,' but I went along with it." Rikuo scratched his arm distractedly. "It's a secret," he looked over at Kazahaya expectantly. "I'd appreciate it if what I'm about to tell you didn't leave this room."

"Of course," Kazahaya sat up.

Rikuo sighed, closing his eyes and rubbing one with the heel of his hand before opening them again, looking at the coffee table in front of them.

"I can move things... with my mind. That's the gift Kakei mentioned."

Kazahaya's jaw fell slack. _No way..._ it was too crazy. His small circle of friends... were they all powerful in some way? Fai a magician, him a clairvoyant, Rikuo... God, he hoped Kurogane didn't have some kind of hidden ability too. Just the thought gave Kazahaya reason to roll his eyes.

Rikuo moved to study Kazahaya's reaction, smiling a bit. "Well, breaking things, really. But Kakei is a psychic too, and he taught me to control my power and expand it. So, I can just move things too, if I'm careful."

"I guess that's how... that's what happened, in the kitchen," Kazahaya spoke quietly. "You were so angry and desperate, the power overcame you and exhausted your energy..."

Rikuo nodded. "That's what Kakei believed happened. And it makes sense so... I mean, there's no other way..."

Both boys relaxed now. Rikuo done story telling and Kazahaya just soaking it all in.

"Anything else?" Rikuo asked with a smirk. The change in attitude almost gave Kazahaya whiplash.

"Um, could you show me?" He queried timidly, darting his eyes back and forth from Rikuo's eyes to the front of the room.

"What? Want me to move something?"

"Yeah," Kazahaya couldn't contain his excitement. Sure he'd seen Fai fool around, picking things up by force of magic and plenty of other supernatural things, but that was Fai. It didn't surprise him anymore to walk into Fai's room unexpectedly to see him sitting cross legged on the floor with his entire room floating above the ground. To see someone else do it... something he was sure only Fai could do...

Rikuo shrugged. "Sure, it's been a while since I've practiced just moving objects... breaking stuff comes much easier..." he trailed off, looking around, eyes settling on the Xbox controller on the floor. Kazahaya found his gaze and watched it too, excitement bubbling.

Rikuo's eyebrows narrowed, lips turning down as he concentrated. Kazahaya watched with amazement as the controller shakily floated up a couple inches into the air for a couple of seconds and gently came back down, landing with a dull clatter.

Rikuo exhaled loudly. Kazahaya smiled. Rikuo turned, taking in Kazahaya's excited smile and they giggled softly to themselves.

"That is so much cooler than my ability," Kazahaya praised after the giggles died down.

"Nah, you have a real gift," Rikuo's face relaxed, eyes soft. He looked like he was about to say more, but another thought crossed his mind.

"I wonder... if Kakei knew I'd meet you, when he sent me here," he mumbled. Kazahaya managed to catch it though.

"Maybe," Kazahaya responded to fill the silence, but it was soon falling again, tension building between the teens.

Rikuo broke it first. "Are you satisfied?"

Kazahaya rolled his eyes up, thinking of anything else, but could only feel Rikuo's warm body next to his, how he felt him slowly easing forward, about to pop Kazahaya's personal bubble again. He swallowed his nerves, turning to face Rikuo, their noses almost brushing.

His voice was a low rasp when Kazahaya answered, surprising himself. "No."

"What else would you like from me?" Rikuo's low tone matched Kazahaya's as his eyelids began to droop, nudging his nose against Kazahaya's.

_Please don't make me say it..._ Kazahaya raged in his mind, but didn't need to voice anything, as Rikuo closed the distance between their lips, pressing gently, a bolt of electricity shooting through Kazahaya's body at the warm contact. Rikuo made a low sound in the back of his throat as Kazahaya attempted to kiss back, mimicking Rikuo's lip movements and hesitantly winding his arms around Rikuo's shoulders, pressing their upper bodies together... hoping that the pressure on his torso would stabilize the uncontrollable muscle in his chest.

Unfortunately, as they found themselves flush together, Kazahaya's heartbeat instead increased it's pace, pounding hard enough to cause discomfort, but Kazahaya paid it no mind, lips parting in a silent gasp as the the temperature climbed, Rikuo's hands clamped over Kazahaya's hips and moved toward the small of his back.

Rikuo opened his mouth too, and they both paused, unsure on how go about initiating something deeper than just lips-on-lips contact. Kazahaya opened his eyes slightly, noticing Rikuo doing the same and they gazed at each other before Rikuo nipped Kazahaya's bottom lip as warning before tilting his head, sharp green eyes concealed once more, and sliding his tongue into Kazahaya's mouth, deliberately massaging it along the pink muscle inside. Kazahaya moaned deeply, leaning heavily on Rikuo. They both moved agonizingly slow, tongues exploring, hesitant but so willing.

It wasn't long before both boys decided they were comfortable enough and increased the pressure and pace. Rikuo let one arm remain around Kazahaya's waist, trapping him like a snare, pulling him closer so Kazahaya was almost on his lap, while the other moved up, hand cradling the back of his head, fingers combing through soft, fine, dirty blonde hair.

Rikuo exhaled loudly out his nose as he worked his mouth, beating Kazhaya's pace, overcoming him. Kazahaya was always a half second late as Rikuo's lips parted briefly to change angle, sometimes Kazahaya's tongue was still out when he disconnected, but it was always sucked back in an eager mouth, making the blonde boy give in to his classmate's passion. It was too much, it was too hot... but a _good_ kind of heat. Kazahaya felt himself clinging to the bigger body, falling under a spell and letting his mouth be ravished, trying his best to challenge Rikuo's dominance but failing miserably as he continued to moan wantonly, feeling his legs move on their own as he mounted Rikuo, straddling his lap.

Rikuo's hands found Kazahaya's butt, squeezing hard, making Kazahaya groan, letting those hands pull his hips down so they pressed against Rikuo's front and they both had to get their tongues back to voice their pleasure, Kazahaya making an "_Aah,_" sound while Rikuo's was more of a grunt as their clothed arousal's pressed against each other.

The thought that Rikuo was hard... aroused, for _him_ almost made Kazahaya's brain break, nerves singing. Whatever hesitance the almond eyed boy felt before had vanished, replaced by sheer want, the feral need for _Rikuo_. Kazahaya couldn't stop himself even if he was in his right mind as he began rolling his hips, grinding down onto Rikuo, enjoying the way his head fell back against the couch, mouth open, his own breath catching as he bucked his hips up to meet Kazahaya's.

Soon, after a couple minutes of that however, it finally hit him... the surprise strong enough to make Kazahaya slow down his movements... _I'm on top of Rikuo... I'm making out with him... kissing him... oh my God._

Rikuo brought his head back up, noticing Kazahaya's sudden lack of vigor, and their eyes met, Kazahaya's looking stunned while Rikuo's was dark and cloudy.

"Whats wrong?" He asked, his low voice alone making Kazahaya tremble.

"I..." Kazahaya looked down, his hands sliding off Rikuo's shoulders, down the coarse material of his hoodie to rest on his stomach, fingering a hem line.

Rikuo smirked wickedly, putting his hands over Kazahaya's, making the boy look up.

"Do you want this off?" He spoke flirtatiously, lips getting dangerously close to Kazahaya's again.

Kazahaya made an unmanly squeak in response, shaking his head, the burn on his cheeks escalating to his ears.

"N-no! I mean... Uh," Kazahaya stuttered. Rikuo looked amused.

"D-do you... like me?" Kazahaya asked, an eyebrow raised, not wanting to look meek.

Rikuo's whole expression changed, his mouth spreading into a wide smile while his eyes looked hurt.

"Do I _like_ you?" Rikuo repeated with light sarcasm, thumbs caressing in small circles on Kazahaya's hands. His tone lightened though, as he leaned in, kissing Kazahaya below an ear. "Of course I like you, why else would I be kissing you if I didn't?"

Well, that's a valid point. Kazahaya beat himself up, embarrassed now, clutching Rikuo's hands.

Rikuo waited for a response, sighing when he got none and continuing to plant kisses down Kazahaya's neck, taking little bites as he went and licking them better. Kazahaya's jaw dropped in silent moans, tilting his head as Rikuo worked.

"Why are you acting so shy?" A kiss. "Where is that fire I'm so used to," lick. "Even before this... when you would argue with me?" Rikuo nuzzled his nose in the crook of Kazahaya's neck, where his collar bone started.

Kazahaya gasped as Rikuo went further, popping the first button of his jacket that he never removed with his teeth.

"I'm just..." His breath caught when he felt Rikuo's tongue again. My God he was a distraction. "I'm just wondering why..."

"Why I like you?" Rikuo's hot breath bounced on his skin before he finally brought his head back up to face Kazahaya, grinning slyly at the half lidded eyes and moist, parted lips he was met with. Kazahaya nodded, letting Rikuo's hands go as they slipped out of his grasp, moving to comb through his hair.

After a moment, Rikuo spoke softly. "I'm not sure. All I know is... when I first met you, talked to you, last year, I felt different," he shrugged.

Kazahaya waited, hearing nothing else from Rikuo and sighing, clearing his mind and focusing now, poking Rikuo's stomach.

"Tell me more."

Rikuo kind of chuckled, fingers turning to massage the base of Kazahaya's neck now. "I guess you do deserve an explanation," he smiled and Kazahaya wanted to kiss those smiling lips, but restrained himself, nodding again.

"It's weird," he began. "I don't think I've ever felt any kind of love or affection... I remember something similar with Tsukiko, but it wasn't like this..." he draped his hands over Kazahaya's shoulders. "It was different, so I tried avoiding you, finding myself watching you when I knew you weren't looking. I didn't understand what it was. I never thought it could be attraction... a lot of girls came up to me, confessing their feelings, and how they acted was nothing close to how I interpreted how I was feeling toward you."

"Did you ever have a girl friend?" Kazahaya interrupted.

"No," Rikuo answered simply. "I didn't want one, I certainly didn't think I deserved any of them. I know I'm a brat, I don't let anybody in easily. Kurogane is a different story cos he feels the same way. We get along easily cos conversation isn't necessary between us," another shrug.

"Anyway..." he continued seeing Kazahaya's understanding. "Suddenly this year, I can't get away from you. You spill milk on me, sit next to me... you know I almost dropped public speaking when I noticed you were there as well... but I didn't want to be childish, so I stayed."

"That's funny," Kazahaya began, catching Rikuo's attention. "I stayed in public speaking because I saw you attended as well," he grinned. Rikuo followed suit.

"And that's where I was forced to get to know you... I acted like a jerk because of my own selfishness... it didn't make any sense to me why I got so flustered whenever you were around," he moved his hands from Kazahaya shoulders to hold his hands again. "So I was trying to distance myself from you, mostly so I could figure it out. Then I realized that was stupid and after that whole situation in the closet and stuff, I finally got over myself and talked to you for real... which was perfect, cos it helped me clarify how I felt."

Rikuo paused, thinking, then grinned hugely.

"I realized I had a crush on you at Kurogane's party."

Kazahaya blushed and Rikuo laughed lightly. "Know what I did after you left?" He leaned in again, whispering, brushing his lips against Kazahaya's. Said boy mumbled a negative, eyes fluttering closed as Rikuo pressed a chaste kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"I went into my room... got stupidly drunk," he scoffed at himself, moving to Kazahaya's ear. "And thought about you..."

Kazahaya's heart stopped then kicked back up in double time at the insinuation in Rikuo's tone.

"Would you like to know what I was doing while I thought about you?" Rikuo's tone was heavy with lust, licking the shell of his ear, making Kazahaya moan in a high tenor.

Kazahaya licked his lips, trying to make his tongue work. "Th-that's not necessary..."

"Yes... I'm sure you've figured it out," Rikuo's hands left Kazahaya's once more, putting them to use in undoing the rest of Kazahaya's jacket.

"When you told me you were gay, that's when I had to find out if what you did to me was a fluke," he got the last button off and pushed the jacket off Kazahaya's shoulders. Kazahaya moved his arms to assist in discarding it, hearing the fabric fall to the floor in a heap. "And figure out how to make you mine," he finished with a bite to Kazahaya's neck, suckling on the skin afterward. Kazahaya closed his eyes in pleasure, moving his hips again, pressing against Rikuo and feeling his skin underneath the large hoodie.

The boys found each others lips again and started up again like they hadn't stopped, kissing roughly and messily, but not caring. This time though, while indeed trying to keep up with Rikuo, Kazahaya began to memorize the taste and feel of Rikuo, devouring every detail in the way soft lips moved against his.

Kissing Rikuo was something that ever only happened behind his eyelids or on paper... but dreams, as Kazahaya found out, did not come to par with the real thing. The real Rikuo was forceful in his kissing, yet caressing softly, causing a delicious experience that would probably never have Kazahaya writing again... because nothing compared.

Kazahaya let his hands get tangled in Rikuo's black hair and tried not to pull too hard.

Eventually, what felt like forever and yet not long enough, they both forced themselves to stop, a silent, mutual agreement to keep things above the belt for now, parting from the kiss with a lingering feeling.

Kazahaya felt his knees cramping, staying in this position above Rikuo, but didn't feel like it was the right time to move, especially with Rikuo's hands still massaging his ass cheeks.

"Holy shit..." Rikuo murmured, licking his very red lips. He looked delirious, and Kazahaya was sure he looked about the same.

"Yeah," Kazahaya could only breathe out a reply, panting hard.

They finally broke apart, instead cuddling next to each other as they watched a movie Rikuo popped in, something with guns and action and explosions, _so manly_. Before Rikuo offered Kazahaya to stay the night as the sun began to set. After some sputtering and blushing, and Rikuo snickering at the reaction, he explained just sleeping over, nothing more, and he could take Kurogane's bed.

Kazahaya agreed after some more prodding, and that was how the first day of many with Rikuo started and ended.


	18. Then this happened

AN: I forgot to tell you guys, and only one person brought it up, about Rikuo's tattoo. He doesn't have it in this story... I was thinking about it, and in the end (meaning 2 chapters ago) I decided to forgo it in this particular AU. I do have an idea of how it came to be... it's kind of lame, but that's me, not wanting to say it's a magic tattoo like Fai's (which it probably is ha ha) and certainly not wanting it to have no meaning... cos it obviously does. So, I dunno. If you're curious on what I think it could be, ask me in a review and I'll let you in on my crazy imagination :P

Also, no one trusts Rikuo! XD you guys have no faith in him... thinking he stole Kazahaya's notebook, how shameful! Ha ha ha, all the reviews I got concerning the notebook seriously made me wanna reconsider my original idea... you guys really keep me on my toes, you know lol.

Warning (but not really): Horny teenage boys. That is all. Mua ha ha ha!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kazahaya was worried, naturally, about sleeping on Rikuo's bed, not yet in control of his ability to see memories, afraid he would get a vision similar to the first one he had while laying unconscious upon the bed. But thankfully Kazahaya slept soundly, maybe a little too comfortable, in fact, as he slept in, burying his face into Rikuo's pillow and getting swept away by his scent.

A crazy grin spread across Kazahaya's lips as memories of the previous day flooded his mind, reminding him of why he wasn't waking up in his own bed. When he opened his eyes, lazily as he did every morning, he half expected Rikuo to be creepily standing over him, but luckily found the room as empty as it was when he came in here last night.

He groggily lifted his head, peeking at the digital clock on the end table nearby and noticed it was nearing 10am. Kazahaya flopped back down, curling his arms under and around the pillow, full on snuggling down, stretching his lower body out as he did so. He had a feeling Rikuo hadn't woken yet, and he didn't know what he'd do with himself if he woke up first... maybe figure out Halo some more... but touching Rikuo's things without asking for permission didn't sit well with Kazahaya.

Then again, he was fully awake. As hard as he tried to go back to sleep, the sun was shining through the window and his internal alarm clock didn't enjoy him sleeping past 9am... while his physical alarm liked him up at six.

About ten long minutes passed before Kazahaya pushed the covers off himself, knowing he wasn't going back to sleep. He sat up, pulling his shoulders back and hearing something pop before swinging his legs over the edge, wiggling his toes and standing on his feet, stretching some more.

He was dressed in his own PJs, having ran back to his dorm room to collect some necessary clothes and toiletries yesterday, before spending the night here. It was something he was having an internal debate about... whether he should leave his sleep wear in his room, "forgetting" to bring them, and having to wear Rikuo's clothes to bed instead. But Kazahaya didn't want to seem like a complete weirdo, and so here he was, in mismatching pajama pants and a plain white t-shirt.

After taking in Rikuo's room once more, a nagging curiosity to go through his things bugging his ethical beliefs, Kazahaya quietly opened the door and made his way down the hall to the bathroom. He noticed, with slight interest, that the door to Kurogane's room, on the opposite side of the hall, was ajar. Half tempted to peek inside, or look in the living room, he instead quickly used the bathroom, brushing his teeth and scowling at how messy his hair looked, before emerging once again, his bare feet padding against the carpeted hallway floor as he made his way to the living room.

The archway from the hallway into the living area brought him behind the couch, which Rikuo was currently seated in. Startling himself a bit, Kazahaya calmed down, walking around the couch, unsure what to do.

"Good morning," he greeted, noticing Rikuo was in sweat pants and a black beater, reading from a spiral notebook.

It took several seconds, in Kazahaya's not-totally-awake-yet mind, to do a double take at the notebook in Rikuo's hands. Not panicking _quite_ yet, as he couldn't see the front cover – Rikuo had it folded so he was reading from one page – it could have been his book, studying notes or something.

"Morning," Rikuo said gruffly, probably just woken up too. Kazahaya nervously made his way to the couch, curling up on the cushion next to Rikuo, trying to inconspicuously look over his shoulder.

He licked his lips. "Whatcha reading?"

Rikuo shrugged, lowering the material down considerably, hiding it from Kazahaya's view, mentioned boy pouted to himself.

"Something I found in the boys' locker room."

Now Kazahaya's heart leapt in terror, trying harder to see the text written on the page. Rikuo looked over at him questioningly.

Kazahaya tried to play it off. "What? You're hiding it from me."

"Yeah, and? It's not yours to read," Rikuo said defensively.

Kazahaya huffed. "And it's not yours either. Why didn't you turn it in?"

Rikuo made a sound of defeat, drawing his legs up and letting the notebook rest on his lap. Kazahaya finally saw the page, and he didn't even need to read the words to recognize the handwriting.

Rikuo was reading his notebook. _The Forbidden Notebook_.

Kazahaya's mouth went dry. No, _no_! This was never supposed to happen! He had tried so hard to keep the book a secret all these years, terrified at the notion of _anyone_ getting their hands on it. But now Rikuo had it... _Rikuo_, of all people, had found his graphite scribbled pages of secret desires and wants. Rikuo, whom the whole notebook was practically about! Shit, this would not go down well... not at all.

But, wait... Kazahaya lifted his panic filled eyes to Rikuo's, noticing their usual, dull expression. No teasing, no waiting remarks, perfectly placid.

Rikuo didn't know the book belonged to him.

_Yet..._ Kazahaya's brain added. Kazahaya shook his head, clearing it, trying to listen now as Rikuo began to speak.

"I was going to, but I opened it up anyway, to see if there was a name, which there isn't, and I couldn't help but glance at the first page... which I noticed didn't look like notes," he lifted up the book partly. "It's stories, or ideas, or just words... and they're really..." Rikuo smiled weirdly, searching for a word, looking over at Kazahaya. "If you can forgive the term, _gay_. This thing is super gay."

Kazahaya snickered, mostly due to nerves, but he hoped Rikuo would register it as a humorous laugh.

"What, like, literally?" Kazahaya tried to go along with it, but he didn't want to. He wanted to snatch his notebook out of Rikuo's hands and burn it! The embarrassment he was feeling right now was so heavy, he was surprised he hadn't fainted yet.

"Totally," Rikuo looked back to the page he was reading. "Like, listen to this..."

_Oh, God, no. He's not going to really..._

"'Roku eased himself in, his thick cock stretching Kora, filling him. Roku moaned, hands gripping thin hips tighter as he pushed himself in fully, hearing Kora's gasp as he finally seemed to relax fully...'"

Kazahaya felt the room spin as his face burned from a raging blush. His hair was probably standing on end too, like the sick, prickly sensation you get right before you throw up.

Rikuo stopped reading abruptly, noticing Kazahaya's reaction.

"What's wrong?" His grin faded, concern in his eyes now.

"J-just, don't read that allowed, it's embarrassing!" Kazahaya tried to chuckle, but it came out more like a squeak.

Rikuo's lips turned down, studying Kazahaya. Said boy looked down quickly, swallowing and trying to collect his bearings.

"W-why the hell are you reading... gay porn anyway?" Kazahaya only managed to stutter on the first word, but almost flinching when he said "porn."

Rikuo shrugged, finally looking away from Kazahaya, tapping the notebook against his knees thoughtfully. Kazahaya stared at it like a cat stalking a mouse, waiting for the right time to snatch it.

"Research," Rikuo said with a wild grin. This time Kazahaya couldn't keep his eyes away from Rikuo's, staring incredulously into a mischievous sea of green.

Kazahaya thought for sure Rikuo was kidding, but then again, he figured Rikuo was always joking around, when in reality, he was actually flirting. Kazahaya began to wonder if Rikuo knew how confusing he was.

"Research?" Kazahaya repeated, eyebrow cocked, blush finally at a more manageable level.

Rikuo nodded once, looking back at the notebook and holding it so the pages flipped too fast to take in.

"Not to freak you out or anything, cos apparently you go green at the thought of sex," here he smirked at Kazahaya, obviously intending to belittle, but Kazahaya instead had to control a swoon at the smirk, but also fight down a lash out at Rikuo's assumption.

"But," he continued. "Recently I've been curious about, you know, how guys 'do it'."

_Holy shit_. Kazahaya thought for sure he'd have a heart attack at an early age with all these aerobics Rikuo was causing his heart to do. He couldn't pull his gaze off Rikuo, even when he met his eyes and they just stared at each other for a long while.

"You're blushing again," Rikuo whispered, grinning slightly.

"You're observational skills are a force to be reckoned with, Rikuo," Kazahaya murmured, slightly mortified and slightly turned on.

Rikuo was leaning in. Kazahaya froze, feeling odd about this situation, before he whipped his arm out and snagged the notebook from Rikuo's lax grip as he was inches from his lips.

"Hey!" Rikuo made a swipe for it as he realized what had happened. Kazahaya held it out of his reach, miraculous as that seems.

"Now tell me why you're really reading it," Kazahaya demanded playfully. He had a feeling what Rikuo told him wasn't truthful, even if it had been carrying heavy implications and made inappropriate fantasies briefly flash through his mind.

"What?" Rikuo responded, like an automatic reaction, giving up for the time being on trying to reclaim the notebook.

"C'mon. Why are you reading this? It can't be just curiosity, I can tell." Kazahaya couldn't help a wink.

Rikuo glared at Kazahaya, but it wasn't life threatening, so the slighter boy didn't drop his smile.

"It has my name in it," Rikuo said plainly.

Kazahaya's smile faltered, but that's all he let show on the outside. Inside he was freaking out.

_No way. Did I slip? Or did he figure out his character?_ In all honesty, Kazahaya wondered just _how_ dense Rikuo was to not notice how similar Kora and Roku were to... well, themselves, especially if Rikuo had read as much as he was implying.

Rikuo must've taken Kazahaya's silence as confusion, crossing his arms.

"It didn't really hit me at first, how similar me and this 'Roku' character are, but while I was skimming, I found my name instead," he nodded to the book in Kazahaya's hands. "About a quarter way in, and I didn't see it again."

Kazahaya cussed at himself, infuriated at how he could accidentally write Rikuo's actual name... and bewildered that Rikuo managed to find the one slip up, possibly in the entire notebook. A real fear shook Kazahaya. What if he had accidentally written his own name too? If he messed up once when he was careful not to, who's to say he did so twice?

"How can you be so sure it's you? I mean, there's probably other Rikuos in this school..." Kazahaya back peddled.

Rikuo waved it off. "I'm pretty sure I'm the only 'Rikuo' in this school with that spelling," he grinned again, closing in on Kazahaya, making the boy lean back. "And who is 'pushing six feet tall,' has 'striking green eyes,' and 'short, sooty black hair,' that 'falls over his eyes'," he practically purred. A small part of Kazahaya congratulated Rikuo for quoting his own descriptives.

Another part began panicking again, while the rational part of his brain, small as it might be, helped him to speak.

"... Are you going somewhere with all this?"

Rikuo hummed, leaning forward even more, causing Kazahaya to almost lay flat against the cushions, the only thing keeping him upright being the arm of the couch, as Rikuo bridged over him.

"Obviously," Rikuo leered. Kazahaya swallowed. "Someone in this school is a little obsessed about me."

"You're deluded," Kazahaya spat out quickly, turning his face slightly as Rikuo descended further, nudging his nose under Kazahaya's ear.

"Or maybe I'm on to something," he nipped Kazahaya's ear lobe. Said boy gasped lightly before turning his head to face Rikuo, forcing every nerve in his body to stop being such a g_oddamn girl_ and fight back.

Kazahaya let the notebook fall to the floor near him, placing his hands on Rikuo's chest and pushing. "You're on something, alright," he tried to sit up and simultaneously shove Rikuo off him.

What Kazahaya wasn't expecting was Rikuo to take his wrists and pull them above the blonde's head, keeping them locked together in one grip as he – not quite forcefully – returned to his original position, almost fully pressing against Kazahaya now.

Genuinely confused now, and miffed as the loss of his hands, Kazahaya watched what Rikuo would do next, his honey colored eyes questioning. Did Rikuo suspect him? Did he actually know it was Kazahaya's notebook and was tormenting the boy? Or... did Rikuo just want to make out? Kazahaya thought any of these theories could be true right now.

Kazahaya shrunk back into the arm rest, lips drawn inward as Rikuo, supported by his one free arm, came dangerously close to his face, eyes playful but mouth set in a serious line.

"Why don't you just admit it?" Rikuo spoke quietly, not whispering though.

Kazahaya raised an eyebrow. "Admit what?" He had a sneaking suspicion what Rikuo was going to say...

"That you wrote all that stuff," Rikuo's eyes shifted, studying Kazahaya's reaction.

Kazahaya frowned, planning out his lie so he sounded convincing. He didn't think Rikuo knew; he was just guessing.

"Why would I write sexual stuff about a guy I didn't even know?"

"Because you said you like to write... and I've seen you writing in a notebook before," he paused, smirking. "And you like me."

Kazahaya sighed through his nose, closing his eyes and concentrating. He was pretty good at lying, when he wasn't distracted by a handsome face.

"I was doing a homework assignment when you saw me in the lounge," he opened his eyes, meeting Rikuo's and wriggling his arms. "That notebook isn't mine. I wouldn't write shit about someone I didn't even know." Kazahaya congratulated himself. He managed to keep eye contact and sound convincing too.

Rikuo went silent, and the boys had a staring contest. Kazahaya relaxed his face, looking placid.

Finally Kazahaya's wrists were removed. Kazahaya brought his hands down to rub his wrists, not that they hurt, but just as something to do. Rikuo finally backed off.

"Sorry," Rikuo took one of Kazahaya's hands in his, gently stroking the bony wrist. Kazahaya could only stare, thinking how tender Rikuo was being.

"I was hoping it was you, only because I know you, and now I'm officially weirded out, because someone in this school is writing personal shit about me without my knowledge..."

Kazahaya almost blurted it out then, but kept his mouth shut, agonizingly torn. Rikuo looked frazzled, and it wasn't a flattering expression for the tan boy. But Kazahaya had just gone through all the trouble of keeping his notebook a secret, it wouldn't make sense to suddenly change his mind now. Besides, Rikuo probably wouldn't be pleased that he had lied to him.

An internal debate began inside Kazahaya. He hated how suddenly he felt guilty... guilty for writing those stories about him and Rikuo in the first place, and guilty for lying about them. Why couldn't Rikuo say how he felt in the first place? Without flirtatiously interrogating him. Them maybe Kazahaya would have come out and spoke the truth... maybe.

"Why didn't you just ask me outright if the book belonged to me?"

Rikuo grinned, putting aside his frustration for the moment, giving Kazahaya his attention.

"Because that's not nearly as much fun," he tugged on the hand he held, causing Kazahaya to topple over him.

Kazahaya rolled his eyes, trying to put his guilt behind him as he sat up as best he could. "Don't you know how to be normal?"

"Around you?" Rikuo pecked Kazahaya's lips without warning, causing said boy's cheeks to tinge pink. "Never."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

A few days had passed, and suddenly it was Christmas eve. Kazahaya sat on Rikuo's bed, watching him go through his dresser drawers that night, wondering how he managed to capture Rikuo's attention, how he could be so lucky to actually get the only guy he ever had a serious crush on. And bewildered that Rikuo liked him too.

Leaning back on his hands, Kazahaya openly stared as Rikuo peeled off his shirt, letting it fall to the floor messily before pulling a form fitting muscle shirt on. Kazahaya licked his lips, wondering if he was the only one to privately witness Rikuo changing, wondering how long this privilege would last. But he brushed that aside quickly. There was no reason to put an expiration date, so to speak, on his and Rikuo's relationship... whatever it was. Kazahaya's brows lowered. Was Rikuo his boyfriend? They never talked about it.

Then again, they'd only been at this "relationship" for three days.

When Rikuo pulled out a black, button down long sleeve from his closet, Kazahaya finally spoke up.

"Why are you dressing up?" He was only in his usual jeans and sweater. A red sweater. They were about to go out to eat... their first official date. It made Kazahaya's blood race and cheeks turn hot, elated and nervous.

Rikuo turned to face Kazahaya, fastening the buttons through the little holes. "I just wanna look nice."

Kazahaya sighed. "You're making me feel under dressed."

Rikuo grinned, finishing the last button and walking up to Kazahaya, placing his hands on either side of his hips, bringing their faces inches from each other.

"Never," he kissed his nose, standing up straight again. "Actually, you could do to lose a few articles of clothing..."

"I don't think they'd let me into the building if I came in with anything less than what I'm wearing now," Kazahaya grinned back. Even though they had only been together a few days, Kazahaya and Rikuo were already comfortable enough around each other to flirt openly and suggestively. It thrilled Kazahaya... even though when they made out, they still hadn't taken off any clothes or touched each other intimately (unless you counted getting your rear groped), the suggestive undertones of their exchanges that promised something more was enough. It was exhilarating. Kazahaya never knew how much he would enjoy flirting.

Rikuo nodded. "You have a point there," he took Kazahaya's hands, pulling him up to stand as well.

Kazahaya hadn't put on his shoes yet, while Rikuo already had on his sneakers, making him appear a few inches taller than normal. The dirty blonde had to tilt his head to meet Rikuo's eyes.

"How tall are you?" Kazahaya asked, resting his hands on Rikuo's hips.

"5'11, without shoes," he grinned down at Kazahaya.

Kazahaya shook his head, shifting to look straight ahead, which was at Rikuo's neck.

"You are a freak of nature," he leaned onto Rikuo, feeling a chin rest atop his head. "And you make me feel short."

"You are short," Kazahaya felt the rumble of his voice. "But I like that about you."

"What else do you like about me?" Kazahaya grinned, enjoying himself.

Rikuo smiled. "It's too much, I'd have to write it all down."

Kazahaya pulled back, beaming from ear to ear. "You are such a softie. I wonder what your teammates would think."

Rikuo shrugged. "Who cares," and leaned down, pressing a firm kiss to Kazahaya's lips.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Dinner felt perfect.

They didn't go anywhere fancy, just a simple restaurant. Kazahaya had felt even more nervous, out openly, in public with another guy, but tried to squash down his fears. Rikuo helped by being the picture of ease, suavely asking for a table, placing their orders, and touching his shoe against Kazahaya's comfortingly.

There was no real reason to be nervous, Kazahaya tried to tell himself, he didn't know anyone around them, and eventually forgot where he was, enjoying his time with Rikuo, even if he did take all the mushrooms off his plate. Rikuo had him opening up within minutes.

"So, what is the deal with your family, if you don't mind me asking?" Rikuo eventually asked during a lull in the constant conversation while they finally went at their food without interruption.

Kazahaya swallowed what was in his mouth, licking his lips and tapping his fork lightly against his plate

"My parent's don't like me," Kazahaya started, keeping his eyes on his half empty plate. "And I'm not just saying that, or deciding that based on, whatever. They literally... don't like me," he smiled ruefully.

Rikuo's brows furled. "Why? I mean, there's got to be a reason..."

"Yeah," Kazahaya shrugged, slouching back in his seat. "Well, they're both really powerful people, my parents. My dad is a business man, he owns several corporations and invests in stocks and all that, and my mom is the head of the Young Beauty makeup... thing. I dunno, I don't know what they do professionally too well."

"Whoa, I've heard of that makeup campaign," Rikuo sounded astonished. "Fancy."

"Mm... well, because of their busy lives, they didn't really want kids, and they told me and Kei this. But they thought one would be okay, just to pass on the Kudo name, I guess. But they ended up with twins," Kazahaya made a face like, _obviously_.

"From the day I learned how to walk I was always misbehaving. I ran away from home constantly, hid from my parents, and skipped out on on my piano and karate practice so much that the teachers actually quit," Kazahaya shrugged, dismissing it. Rikuo chuckled.

"You are a bad boy," Rikuo teased.

"Yep," Kazahaya couldn't help but grin. "But Kei wasn't bad. She always followed orders and obeyed everything mom and dad said, even if it exhausted her to sickness," Kazahaya frowned, wringing his hands out underneath the table.

"So, as it happened, Kei became the favorite. We were enrolled in a private school, but my parent's grew tired of my 'insubordination,'" here Kazahaya did air quotes. "And started sending me to boarding schools, just to get me out of their hair. This is my third one... and I'm finally behaving myself, although I still feel like running away..." He looked off somewhere, lost in his thoughts. "But I wouldn't get far, surrounded by trees. My parent's probably knew that when they picked out this school."

"Wow... that seriously sucks, Kazahaya," Rikuo nudged his shoe against Kazahaya's, harder than before, meant to elect comfort.

"It does, but it's not so bad. I have Fai... and now I have you," he spoke softly, peeking up at Rikuo and returning the pressure under the table.

"Yep. And you better not run away now, cos I'll hunt you down and make you regret it," he winked, moving his foot up Kazahaya's leg.

Kazahaya watched Rikuo carefully as he felt the shoe getting higher, past his knee now, before slithering back down. Kazahaya's lips parted slightly, breathing through his mouth as Rikuo continued his massage, staring at each other, eyes suddenly intense.

"And what exactly would you do to me?" Kazahaya challenged, voice low. He scooted forward in his seat, allowing less space between them, giving Rikuo the opportunity to reach over with his leg and touch his chair if he wanted.

"Hm..." Rikuo's eyes sparkled, narrowing devilishly. Kazahaya grinned despite himself, feeling an unfamiliar surge of confidence and anticipation.

"I don't think that conversation would be appropriate in this setting," Rikuo hinted, his shoe wandering dangerously close to Kazahaya's crotch.

Kazahaya was having a hard time keeping his breathing steady. "Wanna go home?"

It didn't take long for Rikuo to respond. "Hell yes."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The moment the front door shut, Rikuo had Kazahaya against a wall, kissing roughly and hands tugging at fabric. They pulled each others jackets off like they weren't meant to be there, arms briefly getting tangled before the obtrusive material was finally gone and the boys had their arms around each other, able to feel bodily shapes and curves with much more ease than with thick coats in the way. They hadn't even flicked a light on yet.

Kazahaya kissed back excitedly as he balanced himself on his toes, hands around Rikuo's torso and up on his shoulders, pulling him down, clinging as their tongues clashed hungrily.

Rikuo tasted like steak sauce, thanks to the food, but also something else, some kind of taste that never left. Kazahaya hadn't found the words to describe Rikuo's flavor yet, but he knew one thing for certain, he loved it. And he could kiss Rikuo forever to figure out the words to describe him.

Kazahaya moaned suddenly when he felt Rikuo's tongue flick the roof of his mouth. It was a location Kazahaya never thought could get him going, but being with Rikuo was making Kazahaya realize quite a few new things about himself.

When Rikuo's fingers, previously holding onto his hips, moved under Kazahaya's sweater, digits pressing against sensitive skin, hiking the red fabric up and up, Kazahaya pulled away from Rikuo's lips, panting, crossing his arms over himself and lifting his sweater up and over his face, tossing it somewhere in the dark.

Both boys went still, Kazahaya just realizing what he did and blushing furiously at himself, unsure what to do next. He jumped when he felt Rikuo's fingers hesitantly begin touching Kazahaya's bare stomach, trailing up to his chest, when he laid his palms flat.

"Sorry," Kazahaya began, voice thick with something.

"What are you apologizing for?" Kazahaya's eyes slid shut. Rikuo's voice sounded so sexy, it should be criminal for an 18 year old boy to sound so amazing.

Rikuo's presence suddenly left and Kazahaya blinked when a lamp light came on, thanks to Rikuo, who was walking back to him. Maybe it was due to the limited lighting, but Rikuo's eyes appeared darker, roaming up and down Kazahaya's body, even if he was only half naked.

Rikuo was once again in front of him, standing close enough for Kazahaya to taste his breath. Kazahaya leaned back against the wall, feeling self conscious yes, but unable to escape those deep green eyes.

Kazahaya licked his lips, looking down at Rikuo's shirt, at the little black buttons, and shakily brought his hands up, undoing the first one with little difficulty. Rikuo groaned softly, settling his hands on Kazahaya's bare shoulders, head disappearing to his neck, where he began placing soft kisses.

Kazahaya was grateful for the wall, or else Rikuo would've had to hold him up. He attempted to focus on his fumbling fingers, working as fast as he could to dislodge every single button, soon getting to the thin white fabric underneath.

Rikuo helped Kazahaya get the dress shirt off, exchanging silent agreements as Kazahaya then took the end of the white under shirt, lifting it up, eyes glued to the dark skin slowly being exposed as Rikuo lifted his arms and let the material be tugged over his head and drop to the floor as well.

Kazahaya's heart was doing a mile run, and he briefly wondered how Rikuo's nerves were holding up. They both had been pretty silent, just kissing and staring... and now touching.

Rikuo replaced his hands on Kazahaya's torso fondling everything and memorizing every curve and slight muscle definition, and Kazahaya finally got to feel the body he'd only ogled briefly and dreamed about. Rikuo was smooth... so smooth, despite the sharp edges of his abs and chest, which felt amazing and rendered Kazahaya breathless, arousal stirring in his lower stomach. He devoured every detail of Rikuo's upper body, amazed at how a young man could look so perfect, so beautiful.

Both boys found each others biceps at the same time and with mutual understanding, pulled one another into a kiss, skin pressing against skin and neither of them could hold down a moan. Kazahaya moved intentionally, wanting to feel his skin slide along Rikuo's, who apparently had the same idea, and they accidentally fell into a rhythm, hips accidentally, or maybe not, pressing together, lightly at first, but soon becoming faster, more intentional, harder...

Rikuo's hands found Kazahaya's ass and he groped him roughly, pulling him close each time he thrust forward. Kazahaya's tongue went erratic, caressing deeply, mind erased by pleasure. His fingers threaded through Rikuo's hair, tugging just to hold onto something.

The pleasure was building between both of them. Kazahaya felt himself coming close to the edge, unable to stop himself, unable to care, and suddenly Rikuo slowed down, tongue going lax, darting back into his own mouth. Kazahaya growled in real irritation as Rikuo pulled back, even following his lips, unwilling to let go.

"Wait, Kazahaya," Rikuo mumbled quickly, voice low and thick.

"What?" Kazahaya snapped, or tried to snap, his voice felt far away.

Rikuo grinned at Kazahaya's reaction. "Before we go any further, I just wanted to tell you that I want to be your boyfriend."

Kazahaya went still, finally opening his eyes fully.

"Yes, good, okay. Now please take me to your bedroom," Kazahaya didn't know where this straightforwardness was coming from, or where his shy, embarrassed self went, but right now he didn't care if he ever came back. _Goddammit_, he was _this_ close to orgasm, and Rikuo interrupted him!

Rikuo growled an affirmative, and promptly lifted Kazahaya up, letting the slender teen wrap his legs around him while he stumbled through the dark house, finding his way to his room.


	19. Oops

AN: It feels really weird writing about Christmas when it's actually very far away right now ha ha.

Anyway, have another Kuro/Fai chapter :) Thank you **glostarz** for helping out with this one 3

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

A phone was ringing, interrupting a woman's momentum in the kitchen as she prepared Christmas dinner. She moved as if she was going to answer it, before sighing irritably.

"Fai! Could you get that please? My hands are covered in flour..."

"Already on it," Fai sang as he practically danced through the house, abandoning his newly opened presents, not much, but enough as always to make him happy and thankful.

He snagged the cordless phone from the receiver, hitting the talk button, and bringing it to his ear.

"Hello?" He greeted sweetly, unable to resist the temptation to briefly inhale the sweet aroma of pumpkin pie floating around the kitchen.

"Um, Fai?" A low, familiar voice spoke on the other line.

Fai beamed, his wide smile even taking his aunt by surprise.

"Kurogane?"

"Yeah, it's me-"

"Merry Christmas!" Fai sang, giggling afterwards.

Silence from the other end. Fai's smile repressed itself to a grin, imagining Kurogane taking it away from his ear considerably.

"Likewise, you dope." Fai could hear the smile in his voice despite his words.

Fai went to the living room, collapsing onto a couch. "How ever did you find my number, Kuro-chan?"

"Gee, I wonder," Kurogane said sarcastically. Fai smiled triumphantly. He had decided not to ask Kurogane to spend Christmas with him, figuring he should be with his own family, and that he'd probably decline anyway for that reason. So, on the last day of school before break, Fai had taken the initiative to write his aunt and uncle's home phone number on a scrap of paper and placing it in Kurogane's back pocket... how he got it in there, well, you can probably guess.

"Do you miss me, Kuro-sweety?" Fai tucked his legs up and underneath him, still in his sleep wear; matching Mickey Mouse pajama pants and shirt.

A sigh from the phone's speaker. Fai bit his lip in anticipation, happy with any response really, just as long as he could continue listening to his boyfriend's voice.

"It hasn't even been a week," Kurogane began, sounding exasperated. Fai shrugged, opening his mouth to say something silly, as usual, when Kurogane spoke again.

"But yes, I miss you," he muttered. Fai went still, surprised, but quickly recovered, smiling sweetly.

"I miss you too," Fai said quietly, looking up into the kitchen, where his aunt had her back to him, preparing something.

Kurogane made a breathy sound that could have been a laugh or a cough.

They continued to converse, getting wrapped up in themselves and ignoring everything around them. They revealed what they got for Christmas, what they had been up to the past four days, did they have anything else planned for vacation, and teasing one another about potential gifts they _may_ have gotten for one another, but neither was confessing.

About half an hour had passed and the line had gone silent, both boys running out of things to discuss.

"I guess I should go-"

"What are you wearing?" Fai cut Kurogane off randomly, causing another silence between them. His aunt over heard from the kitchen, where she was still working, and directed a questionable look toward her nephew, which he didn't notice.

"Uh," Kurogane's voice crackled through the speaker. Fai snickered. "Is that really appropriate right now, Fai?"

Fai shrugged, even though Kurogane couldn't see. "Probably not."

Kurogane chuckled. He heard shuffling from the other end, as if Kurogane had gotten up from wherever he was and was moving elsewhere. Fai waited patiently.

"What would you like me to be wearing?"

Fai grinned evilly, getting up himself and moving to his room. "Hm, how about nothing?" He suggested offhandedly, as if he were discussing the weather, he closed the door behind him.

More shuffling. Fai curled up on the head of his bed, trying to figure out what Kurogane was doing.

Finally he spoke again. "Then I'm wearing nothing."

Fai's breathing hitched, eyebrows narrowing in disbelief.

"Really?"

Silence from the other line. Fai licked his lips, pressing the phone hard against his ear, straining to hear something, anything, from Kurogane.

"Kurogane?" Fai spoke softly.

A soft, barely there sigh. Fai's eyes bugged out of his head, surprised Kurogane could make such a lovely sound.

"I love it when you say my full name," Kurogane whispered.

Fai was motionless, for once struck silent. He hadn't meant anything by his question, just blurting it out to keep Kurogane on the line. What was Kurogane... doing?

"Kuro..." Fai hesitated on the nic name. "... what are you doing?"

Another silence, luckily it didn't last too long this time.

"What would you like me to do?"

_Whoa... _Well, this was unexpected. And honestly, Fai didn't want to do any kind of... phone sex, or whatever the hell Kurogane had started. At least, not right now. In the middle of the day, when his aunt and uncle were up and about the house. Fai might be a perverted freak, but even he had standards.

So he cleared his head, not wanting to outright reject Kurogane or tell him to stop, he came up with something impossible for Kurogane to do right then.

"Me," he answered his boyfriend's tempting question, speaking matter-of-factly, no whispering or seductive tone in his voice.

"Yeah?" Kurogane's voice still sounded alluring. Fai wondered what he could be up to.

"How would you like me to do you, babe?"

Fai took a cue from Kazahaya and fell off his bed, stiff with shock, crashing into his narrow bed-side table, taking the lamp that was on top of it down with him. The phone flew from his grip and fell scattered a few feet from him as Fai tried to collect himself.

"Ow, ow, ow, _shit_," he grumbled to himself, crawling over to the phone, and rubbing a sore spot on his head, yelling "I'm fine!" When he heard his aunt voice her worry at the sound.

He finally got his hands around the phone again, holding it up to his ear, catching Kurogane's concern halfway.

"-you okay? Fai? What happened?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay, don't worry," Fai pulled himself up to a sitting position on the floor, still rubbing his head, bringing his hand back out of reflex, checking for blood, which there was none.

"What did you do?"

Fai groaned, now realizing not only was his head sore, but so was his arm and the side of his hip.

"I fell onto my lamp," Fai spoke clearly, irritated at himself.

Silence again, this time surprised quiet.

"How did you manage that?" Kurogane sounded amused now.

"What kind of question is that?" Fai asked seriously, rubbing his sore hipbone. "You and your sexiness made me fall."

A scoff. "Sexiness, that's a good one."

"... Are your really naked, Kuro-pin?" Fai remained on the floor, in pain and feeling lousy.

Kurogane went silent again. More shuffling sounds and a grunt before finally there was a _click_. Fai blinked, brows lowering as he took the phone away from his ear to look at the small screen, noticing that he had been disconnected.

Fai stared for a long while, thinking first that maybe the call was just dropped and Kurogane would call back, but he didn't. Fai's jaw dropped as he realized Kurogane had hung up on him."Are you serious?" he screeched, letting his cool slip momentarily.

Unbeknownst to the blonde mage, Kurogane sat in his room, in just his underwear, the phone sitting in his hand that lay on his mattress, the other hand covering his face.

"Ah, what am I doing?" Kurogane muttered to himself, shaking his head.


	20. Curiosity

AN: Skool Daze turns 20 today! My little baby is growing up XD

**IMPORTANT** PLEASE READ: a few chapters ago, a reviewer pointed out that this story is very Americanized... and it is, I can't deny that I'm not a native to Japan, and during the majority of this fic, I haven't had the Internet to research... and I just now decided to do some research and... OMG, I'm so far off the mark for Japanese school systems and holidays... so, as of RIGHT NOW, we are in the North America instead of Japan because... ugh, this is suddenly bothering me!

I hope no one is confused by this... I will be going back and editing each chapter to accommodate this change.

Side note: is anyone disgusted by the amount of fluff between these two I keep on adding? Lol when I reread the chapters, I dunno. I can't help but unleash my inner fangirl, just a little, after all these years of keeping the boys off each other ha ha. But I hope it's still realistic. Your reviews seem positive, so I'm just gonna go with the flow :)

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

When Kazahaya woke the next morning, something felt different. In fact, there were three different things he noticed right away.

One, he wasn't in his own bed. He panicked briefly, looking around before he relaxed again, remembering that he'd been staying at Rikuo's place for the past couple days. He really needed to get used to this, he supposed.

Two, when he moved, he felt something hard nudging against his ribs. He lifted the blanket, looking down at himself and gasped with clarification when he saw a tan arm sticking out from under him. Kazahaya lowered the blanket down once more, face red as he recalled last night.

And three, Kazahaya noticed he was only in his boxer shorts when he had looked down at himself. Yes, he remembered why he was almost naked, and currently in bed with Rikuo... his _boyfriend_.

Kazahaya lay still as scenes from last night brought themselves to attention. After Rikuo had plopped him down on the bed, and they continued making out, things just escalated from there and they suddenly had their pants off and were... pressing, grinding, thrusting against the thin material of their under garments. Kazahaya shuddered pleasantly at the memory, but also with intense embarrassment. He had acted so... animalistic was probably the best term. Kazahaya didn't know he had it in him... he was just so overwhelmed by Rikuo and by his own barely contained arousal for his classmate. If they both hadn't come while still semi clothed, Kazahaya wasn't sure if he would have stopped Rikuo... or himself, for that matter, if they had took things any further.

After Kazahaya had come down from his high, it was like he was snapped out of a haze and all he could do was pretend to be tired and fall asleep to avoid confrontation... because he had suddenly felt so awkward and ashamed of himself.

A weight shifted behind him, bringing the dirty blonde out of his mulling. Kazahaya let a barely audible "_eep_" when he felt Rikuo's body spoon against his, another arm slowly making its away around Kazahaya's hips, snuggling him close. Kazahaya froze, sensory nerves going off in his sleepy brain like fireworks. He had never shared a bed with someone, and right now his body was having the natural fight or flight response, even though there was a quickly emerging thought that it was only Rikuo behind him, that there was nothing to fear. His arm was only laying over his body, just holding onto him, hooked over him like a bear trap, not letting him escape...

Kazahaya began to wiggle, inching forward toward the edge of the bed. The arm around his stomach tightened, promising no chance of freedom. Rikuo grumbled something inaudible as Kazahaya became more persistent, trying to unlatch Rikuo's hand himself.

"Stop moving," Rikuo grunted, keeping his arm down over Kazahaya like a weight as he detached his hand for the moment, swatting Kazahaya's nimble fingers away from his.

"Aren't you uncomfortable?" Kazahaya said, voice thick with sleep despite his rambling thoughts.

A pause. Kazahaya felt some twitching from the arm underneath him.

"Kinda. My arm's asleep..." He mumbled. Kazahaya instantly lifted himself slightly, allowing Rikuo to pull his arm back.

Kazahaya's nerves dissolved some with the conversation, but he still felt odd laying half naked next to Rikuo.

"You really surprised me, last night," Rikuo started, breath suddenly on his neck. Kazahaya's eyes bugged out as he felt Rikuo's lower half push up against the curve of his ass. But again, something felt... different.

Kazahaya brought one of his hands behind him, slowly, touching Rikuo's hand around his waist, up his arm, and down his side, feeling for something...

His suspicions were confirmed when his fingers continued to descend down, past Rikuo's hip bone, where he still felt skin.

Kazahaya immediately yanked his hand back, hearing Rikuo chuckle, face about to burst into flame as he tried to wriggle away with renewed vigor.

"_Are you wearing underwear?_" Kazahaya demanded in a screechy whisper, flailing his limbs since there was no way Rikuo was letting him escape.

"You expect me to sleep in jizzy boxers?" Rikuo's legs snagged onto Kazahaya's, ceasing their kicking. "I'm surprised you're still in yours," he fingered the waistband. Kazahaya wasn't sure if he was more mortified or aroused... he felt his cock stiffening against his will.

Kazahaya sputtered, latching both hands onto Rikuo's one, rendered speechless. Was this what he would have to put up with now? Rikuo's spontaneous attitude wasn't exactly a turn on... or so Kazahaya wanted to believe.

"Hey..." Rikuo's voice went soft, fingers moving to lace with Kazahaya's. "Turn around?"

"N-no..." Kazahaya's cheeks still burned, but he stopped moving.

Rikuo could probably feel Kazahaya's nerves, because he waited a couple minutes before speaking again. "Please?"

Kazahaya sighed. Shutting his eyes, trying to compose himself... because he did want to see Rikuo, but he didn't want to give into the same emotions he let escape him last night. Even if his body wanted to be touched and ravished by Rikuo, his brain wanted to take things slow, one thing at a time, appreciate and cherish every new sensation.

He carefully shifted to face Rikuo, making sure not to look down, even though it was tempting, he would not peek at Rikuo... not yet.

Their legs were still tangled together when Kazahaya's eyes met Rikuo's, who looked tired and satisfied, yet asking for something. Kazahaya swallowed hard.

"Are you freaked out?" Rikuo asked quietly, his voice still raspy from sleep.

Kazahaya thought about it. He was more upset about himself, not Rikuo... although he wasn't exactly helping the situation... being naked and touching him and... being sexy.

"A little..." Kazahaya replied honestly.

"Sorry," Rikuo made to scoot back, but Kazahaya quickly followed, accidentally pushing himself flush against Rikuo, blushing madly at himself for over calculating the distance between them.

"I-it's not you," Kazahaya said loudly, startling Rikuo. He gave an apologetic look before looking down at his chest, touching Rikuo's skin lightly.

"I'm just... I didn't really know what I was doing last night, and I kind of let my emotions get the better of me..." Kazahaya wasn't sure how to explain his behavior... it's what he wanted to do, but not particularly at that time.

"... Do you regret it?"

"No!" Kazahaya met Rikuo's eyes again. "No, I really don't. I'm just trying to take things slow, but it seems my body and brain have different goals," Kazahaya gave a half smile.

Rikuo grinned. "Ah, I think I get it," he kissed Kazahaya's forehead. "Alright, I'll stop you next time you jump me," he winked and Kazahaya groaned.

"You're the one that starts everything," Kazahaya mumbled as Rikuo's lips moved to his temple and down his face.

"Yeah," Rikuo gently laid his hand on the curve of Kazahaya's hip. "But it's always you who initiates more... climbing into my lap... taking your shirt off, _telling_ me to take you to my room..." their fronts joined and Kazahaya's jaw dropped, he could feel Rikuo's naked erection pressing against his barely covered semi. It felt amazing, dangerous, and once again basic logic was leaving Kazahaya like a faucet turned on full blast.

"To be honest," Rikuo pulled his face back to watch Kazahaya as he spoke. "I never intended to get this far... so quickly, but you make me so curious..." his hand began caressing up and down Kazahaya's side. "How you seem so repressed, so innocent, and then you get kinda aggressive... I'm really liking this side of you." They rolled their hips at the same time, eyes on each other. Something flashed in Rikuo's eyes, some kind of determination. Kazahaya's eyes probably mimicked them as he bit his lower lip, he noticed Rikuo's gaze move to his lips.

"And I can't wait to explore more... if you'll let me," he finished, bringing fingers up to smooth over Kazahaya's mouth, dislodging his lower lip from his teeth with his thumb.

"Yes..." Kazahaya all but moaned. Rikuo moved his hand to Kazahaya's chin, tilting it up, causing Kazahaya to look him straight in the eyes.

Minutes of torturous silence and stillness passed, Kazahaya waiting for Rikuo to _oh God please kiss me, touch me, do something_, but left with aching disappointment as he finally released him... physically and mentally, turning around without a word.

Kazahaya tried to speak, but couldn't find words, brain still fuzzy with arousal. He sat up on an elbow, watching Rikuo bend down over the edge of the bed, blanket around his waist, and pulled on what he assumed was his boxer shorts, before he stood up. Kazahaya's gaze fell down to the massive tent in said boxers.

His mouth went dry, his mind uncomprehending at the sight, while his nether regions sprang fully to life.

"Rik-Rikuo..." he choked out, tearing his eyes away from his boyfriend's obvious strained erection to find his eyes. He was walking around the bed.

Rikuo glanced sideways at Kazahaya, what he saw making him hesitate on his way to the door.

Kazahaya's eyes were darker, taking on more of a brown color, and appeared hazy. It was a look similar to when he was seeing a vision, but it was also entirely different, it was wanting; lust. Rikuo almost took hold of his own member, wondering if looks could... make you cum.

"Shit... you're so hot, Kazahaya."

Kazahaya _smirked_. Rikuo swallowed, feeling himself drift back towards the bed like he was under a spell.

"Then get back over here," Kazahaya purred. Rikuo gaped, watching Kazahaya pull the blanket off him, giving Rikuo a full view of his barely naked body, which he could see so much better now in the light. He gave himself a couple seconds to stare before closing his eyes, shaking his head.

"You are so fucking devious..." he grumbled, forcing himself to turn away.

"No, Rikuo," Kazahaya practically whined. Rikuo snickered.

"And a tease," he quickly left the room, not giving Kazahaya a second look.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

When Rikuo came back, Kazahaya was still in the bed, sitting up and knees bent. Kazahaya glanced up when he entered, obviously from a shower. Rikuo's hair was wet, sticking to his face and a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Feel better?" Kazahaya asked, trying to not eye rape Rikuo's wet body.

"Very," Rikuo responded, sitting on the edge of the bed. "What about you, my little fox?" He grinned.

Kazahaya blushed, running a hand through his hair in agitation.

"I must have some kind of personality disorder," Kazahaya mumbled, staring at his knees.

"Nah, you just can't resist me," Rikuo said smugly, but also teasing. Kazahaya gave him a disbelieving look. Rikuo's response was an eyebrow waggle, leaning forward. "I can't resist you either. You're really trying my patience."

A pleasant shiver shot through Kazahaya's body, triggering his bodily needs that he had just managed to get under control.

"Why don't you get dressed?" Kazahaya looked away, not wanting to get pulled back into Rikuo's ridiculously alluring eyes.

Rikuo hummed. "Probably a good idea..." he hesitated next to Kazahaya, contemplating something, before finally standing up, moving to the dresser.

"Merry Christmas, by the way," he looked over his shoulder briefly as he pulled out a clean pair of underwear.

Kazahaya's eyes widened. Oh yeah, today was Christmas. He wondered if Rikuo had anything special in mind...

"Likewise... I had almost forgotten."

"Maybe if you'd stop looking at me, and instead at a calender, you'd remember," Rikuo sneered. Kazahaya rolled his eyes, finally getting out of the bed and walking over to Rikuo, who was just pulling himself back up after finding a pair of jeans.

"We really need to do something about that arrogant attitude of yours, Rikuo Himura," Kazahaya was at Rikuo's back, touching his sides, fingers pressing into his ribs.

"Maybe after you get your libido under control, Spazahaya," Rikuo turned to face Kazahaya, smirk in place, quickly dropping his clothes to snag his wrists.

A spark of fury flashed in Kazahaya's eyes. "Did you seriously just call me that?" He pulled at his constrained wrists, managing a few fingers to wiggle free and against Rikuo's ribs, making the other boy flinch to the side.

Kazahaya opened his mouth in a silent _Ah_, eyebrows shooting up and a knowing smirk tugging the corners of his lips up. Rikuo's brows lowered.

"Are you _ticklish_?" Kazahaya leaned forward as Rikuo stepped back, putting a firmer grip on Kazahaya's wrists.

"You tickle me and I swear it'll be the last thing you do," Rikuo said seriously, face stern.

"Ooh, threatening me," Kazahaya stepped forward, trapping Rikuo between him and the dresser. "You're not so intimidating when you're in a bath towel."

"And you're not intimidating at all, pipsqueak," Rikuo challenged, keeping Kazahaya's hands away from his body nonetheless.

Kazahaya took another step, pressing his body against Rikuo's. "Insults seem to be the only thing you're good at," he stopped trying to get his hands free, for now.

Rikuo's expression turned sly. "I'm good at a few other things too..."

"I don't believe you," Kazahaya said softly, getting his lips real close to Rikuo's, feeling the grip weaken on his wrists.

Kazahaya anticipated Rikuo's movements and was able to lean back just as Rikuo pushed himself forward, trying to go in for a kiss.

"... What?"

Kazahaya grinned, taking in Rikuo's dumbfounded expression and finally yanking his hands free, quickly putting them to use and attacking Rikuo's sides viciously.

Kazahaya had to move fast, so he wasn't able to see Rikuo's reaction, just a sudden cough of surprise and his hands go to stop him again. He moved his hands down before Rikuo could get them, gripping Rikuo's towel and pulling it off him, turning around at the same time and half-running to the door. He paused when he didn't sense Rikuo chasing after him.

Kazahaya turned, keeping his eyes up on Rikuo's bewildered face. "I'm gonna borrow this," he flung Rikuo's towel over his shoulder, waiting for a response.

Rikuo gave none, just stared. Kazahaya licked his lips, gaze falling down, unable to stop himself from taking his first look at Rikuo's cock... which was hanging rather heavy.

Kazahaya inhaled deeply, taking his time, studying it. He noticed with curiosity that the longer he stared at it, it gradually became bigger, but it could have been his imagination. Kazahaya pulled his eyes away, looking back at Rikuo, who looked torn between aroused and murderous.

"I can be intimidating," Kazahaya spoke softly, deliberately lowering his voice, smirking afterwards and waltzing to the bathroom.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kazahaya had locked the bathroom door as he showered, doubting Rikuo would actually... enter without his permission, but wanting to be on the safe side. Touching himself while he showered was tempting, the hot water and fresh image of Rikuo's penis certainly didn't help, but jerking off in someone else's shower seemed kind of... inappropriate.

But calculating how big Rikuo was, so not inappropriate. Kazahaya figured Rikuo's cocky attitude probably came from self worth. He was big... and Kazahaya was even figuring into account that what he saw was most likely a semi. True, Kazahaya's real life experience with men's junk was limited to what he briefly saw in the boy's showers at school and to the outrageously grotesque looking one's in porn, and of course to his own, a-little-over-six-inches when erect average penis.

Rikuo, if Kazahaya could guess, could be a couple inches longer than his... and even half erect, Rikuo's was definitely thicker than his.

Kazahaya sighed, deciding that keeping his hands to himself, especially after being denied when he woke up, was impossible. So he turned off the hot water, preparing himself for a cold shower.

He did use Rikuo's damp towel, which gave him a weird thrill, but he went along with it, deciding long ago that his obsession with Rikuo wasn't normal.

Kazahaya also had to borrow some of Rikuo's clothes, having only brought two changes of clothes with him, and now decided running back to his room to get more would be an excellent diversion from the fiery look in Rikuo's eyes.

"You can just wear my clothes," Rikuo constantly had an arm around Kazahaya, lips close to his ear or neck, which Kazahaya was constantly dancing out of.

"Your clothes barely fit me," Kazahaya argued, glad Rikuo wasn't bringing up the fact that he had so shamelessly checked out his privates, but him being super clingy like this was probably worse.

"That's the point..." Kazahaya figured Rikuo was doing it on purpose, pulling him closer as he neared the front door.

Kazahaya growled when Rikuo full on trapped him in a bear hug. He felt like he was escaping from a spider's web.

"Rikuo, cut it out!" Kazahaya wriggled. Deciding that yes, Rikuo was doing it on purpose, or else he wouldn't be letting him barely escape, before advancing upon him again. He knew Rikuo could hold onto Kazahaya easily, could easily pick him up and carry him away. Rikuo was enjoying the chase.

Kazahaya managed to shove his feet into his shoes and throw his jacket on, which he noticed with reddened cheeks, that it was still on the floor from last night. Just as his hand shot out to grab the door handle, Rikuo effortlessly snagged it back, kissing his wrist.

When Kazahaya tried with the other, he was pulled backward, turned around, and suddenly had a face in his neck.

"Ugh! Seriously, Rikuo!" He shoved Rikuo off him, which again, was a lot easier than it should have been.

"If you don't stop, I won't come back." A lie of course, both boys knew it.

"That's okay," Rikuo wasn't phased. "I know where your room is."

Kazahaya rolled his eyes, turning again, this time without interruption, and finally made it out of the house.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

When Kazahaya returned about a half hour later, making sure to take his time, he had a much larger selection of outfits. He figured he would be staying at Rikuo's for a while, maybe even for the duration of winter break, but then wondered when Rikuo would become sick of his constant presence and send him back to his dorm.

That last thought was erased, however, when Kazahaya invited himself into Rikuo's house, almost bumping into said boy as he went to step through the front entrance.

"... Where are you going?" Kazahaya inquired, noting Rikuo's shoes and jacket.

Rikuo rolled his eyes, tugging his jacket off and turning around. "I was about to come and find you. Why did you take so long?" He toed his sneakers off as well. Kazahaya narrowed his brows in disbelief, but quietly snickered to himself.

"What? I can't take my time in my own room?" Kazahaya set his heavy back pack down at his feet, getting out of his own shoes and jacket.

"That depends," Rikuo turned suddenly, a grin in place, stepping close to Kazahaya, making the latter catch his breath in surprise as he stared up at his boyfriend's eyes. "What were you doing, all alone in your room? I know living in the dorms isn't nearly as much fun as... living with me," his tone dropped a few octaves at the last words.

Kazahaya looked skeptical, eyebrow quirked. "We're not living together."

"Might as well be," Rikuo retorted quickly, placing his hands on Kazahaya's hips as the smaller boy started backing away. "You'll be here until we go back to school. Get used to it."

Kazahaya's jaw dropped, eyes bugging out. "'Get used to it'? Boy you sure are pushy," he latched his hands onto Rikuo's wrists, attempting to release his hold on his hips.

The seniors struggled uselessly like this, Rikuo never admitting how much of a fight he was putting up with keeping his hands on Kazahaya, giving up in the form of pushing forward, pinning the blonde against the door, using his body to keep the smaller student from struggling. Kazahaya wasn't having any of that though, and a full out wrestling match began between the two.

It continued on the floor, Kazahaya finding out the only way to get out of Rikuo's death grip was to put his full body weight on him, taking both of them to the ground, where Kazahaya relished in the fact that he was on top, victor for a glorious three seconds before Rikuo flipped him over, trying to cease Kazahaya's flailing limbs. Those legs could be lethal when kicking sporadically.

Before long, the heated wrestling match turned into a heated make out session. Kazahaya still didn't want to surrender, defeat was just never an option in his mind. He would randomly push up, poke a rib, and nip Rikuo's lip whenever the darker boy relaxed again.

Rikuo grumbled something about Kazahaya being a nuisance, pinning those slender wrists above his head with one hand. Kazahaya snarled back about Rikuo being a dominant pervert. Rikuo smirked horribly and said something like he couldn't deny it.

They had to eventually stop their aggressive play. The wooden floor boards just wouldn't let them stay at it for long, which was fine, Kazahaya wanted to give Rikuo his Christmas present anyway. It was a good thing after all, that he went back to his dorm room- he had left the gift in there.

It was only after Kazahaya gave Rikuo his gift, a My Chemical Romance belt buckle (Rikuo actually laughed that Kazahaya remembered, a thoughtful expression covering his face), which wasn't wrapped (Kazahaya was horrible at wrapping, and didn't want to pay the lady at the store extra to do it), did Rikuo "suddenly" remember that he got Kazahaya something too.

It was a journal. A relatively thick brown, leather bound journal with old fashioned designs etched onto the expensive material, with a bronze buckle to open and close the book with. Kazahaya went silent from immense gratitude and heavy guilt. He almost told Rikuo the truth about the notebook right then. He even opened his mouth, looking up at Rikuo, and the words almost came out.

But Kazahaya only thanked Rikuo, kissing him briefly on the lips, fingering the edges of the book. Kazahaya hated himself right then. Why couldn't he just come out and say it? Say that it was him who wrote the stories... Rikuo had told him he hoped it was him. So, why couldn't he speak? It was just... even if Rikuo said these things, seemed kind and open, it was just too personal. The dirty, kinky, nasty stuff that he had written before he had even heard Rikuo speak over shadowed any coaxing and hope of acceptance. It was too embarrassing, too personal. Kazahaya hoped Rikuo never found out.

When Rikuo said something about being able to read Kazahaya's work, Kazahaya had to lower his head, bangs hiding his face. And he mumbled an "Okay," wondering what he would be writing in this new book.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

AN: I feel like I'm getting no where. Ughhh.

Sorry about the wait guys. Summer class is over and my boss decided that was a perfect opportunity to move me from "part-time" to "full-time" hours. Great. I'll be going back to sleep now.


End file.
